Likes the Pepsie Max Foxy... and sometimes a Coke in a glass bottle just like childhood 50's.
Funny about that US base up Western Australia (Port Hedland?) where 'something' seems to interfering with Qantas flights.

Dear Gibo,

My weakness is 'Diet Coke.'

Interference with Qantas flights?

That's scary.

Foxy,

I think the US would be most interested in taking the path of least resistance whatever that was. With any luck, being a first-world country with our democratic principles etc, it won't be us.

But under the last Liberal Government there seemed to be a flutter of interest in actually asking the rest of the world for their radioactive waste. No doubt, big business saw the dollar signs in their eyes and lobbied Government.

If Rudd decided to take that path, I wonder what the Labor Premiers would be telling him? Extracting an arm and a leg in compensation ... or kicking his shins under the table at COAG maybe?

The problem with checking contaminated sites after the event is that it doesn't actually solve the problem, it only manages it and it's rather costly. Best not to have the problem at all, I think. Once chemical contamination is in the environment, it can't easily be cleaned up. An interesting point is that the real mop-up operation is done by bacteria would you believe.

I seem to remember seeing an Aussie invention in which the nuclear waste could be encased in a synthetic rock which was especially designed to hold the nuclear material tightly in thus minimising seepage into the groundwater that you mention. Maybe this is the future of the waste industry and Oz could export the technology overseas.

Dear RobP,

Thanks for providing the information.
It is re-assuring that the Government
agencies are looking out for our interests.

Your response encouraged me to google a bit
more on the subject. I came across two websites
that may be of interest to people:

1) http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/pubs/online/RadioactiveWaste.htm
"Radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel management in Australia."
1 Jan 2006.

2) http://www.arpansa.gov.au/RadiationProtection/factsheet/is_waste.cfm
"Radioactive Waste Management."
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency.

Foxy.
Try
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&contentID=108086

on US base signals as possibly causing qantas flight to dive (2nd time its occured apparantly).

Frankly, I'm more concerned about the US military testing their depleted uranium weapons in central Queensland over the next 20 years.

They had to close their bases in the Phillipines, Puerto Rico and Japan because of the toxic legacy they were leaving behind (300+ years to clean up) and the increasing nearby cancer rates.