In Wiscasset, Maine, a field protected by armed guards contains 60 cement and steel canisters holding 1,400 spent nuclear fuel rods from a power plant that closed almost 30 years ago. The issue of what to do with America’s nuclear waste remains unsolved due to political fights, despite tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon moving towards nuclear energy. While current storage methods like dry casks are considered safe, natural disasters like earthquakes and rising ocean levels pose a threat. Big Tech’s push for nuclear energy to meet their growing power needs has raised concerns about the increasing amount of nuclear waste generated. Other countries bury their nuclear waste deep underground in specialized facilities, but in the US, there is resistance to such solutions due to past mishandling of waste. Big Tech’s plans involve building small modular reactors that can be easily managed and decommissioned, but the long-term safety and waste management of these reactors remain uncertain. Despite claims of producing less waste, the challenge of finding a permanent solution for nuclear waste storage in the US persists. The proposed Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada faced opposition from locals, highlighting the ongoing struggle to address America’s nuclear waste problem.
