Nuclear Waste Policy Act Of 1982 - 1205 Words

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 was enacted and passed by Congress based on bipartisanship between parties of congress, recommendations from various interest groups, and presidential leadership from Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. Authoured by the 97th U.S. Congress, this policy aimed to create both a safe and permanent repository to store highly nuclear nuclear waste left over from the production of nuclear weapons in the 1950’s. Up until the bill was signed into law, the disposal of nuclear wastes was widely unmanaged. Residue from reactors and other facilities were kept in temporary storage units, however they were considered ineffective in the long term.(Mcalester, 2010) As stated in a paper by Brett Madres (2011), nuclear wastes can remain potently radioactive for extended periods of time. Recognizing the need to create a long term repository to safely store nuclear wastes, Congress passed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 due to bipartisanship efforts between the Democrats and Republicans, cooperation from numerous interest groups, and nuclear policy initiatives from both Presidents Carter and Reagan. The need for a permanent and efficient depository for nuclear waste was a growing problem in the United States. The federal government had failed to administer the issue over the storage of our nuclear wastes. Despite efforts to recycle and reuse nuclear fuel, it presented another problem. Myers (1986) explains that this process isolates the plutoniumShow MoreRelatedInformative Speech Template Essay993 Words   |  4 PagesMountain as a potential nuclear waste repository, and the resulting failure of the project due to government inaction. Introduction I. Attention-getter: Imagine your old community swimming pool filled with trash. 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