Nuclear Waste Disposal Commentary

Finch’s commentary on the issue of nuclear waste disposal is quite intriguing. By all appearances it is well researched, well thought out, and fairly reliable. Finch includes huge amounts of scientific data to support his ideal site for disposal of nuclear waste. He includes figures from sources such as the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Nuclear Energy Institute (through Steven Kraft) that seem to reflect solid scientific thought. While he may not address all potential issues, he raises a number of environmental and political concerns to waste disposal and is able to provide satisfactory evidence to show that the Yucca Mountain site holds much promise. Of course, his commentary also shows through. This is entertaining and is the source for much of his persuasive strength. Yet it also means that I as a reader would feel compelled to compare his information with other sources before fully evaluating the potential environmental consequences of his decisions. He also doesn’t give much mention to the potential negative environmental impacts should such a program fail. What are the impacts that nuclear waste could have upon the Yucca Mountain environment should the storage system be subjected to some unplanned failure? Still, I think he makes strong enough points about waste storage sites near major cities to convince readers that the current state of nuclear waste is unacceptable. Certainly he falls back on reputable scientific sources at any points of contention in his piece to lend credence to his argument. Overall I feel that his piece is presentable and flows well. His personal voice shines through strongly, perhaps a bit too much to consider him a completely reliable source, but his arguments seem to be based primarily on rational decisions, not only on political views.
(essay is at http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/18541.html)