Radioactive waste

In the authors' view, plutonium production, as well as soil dumping of radioactive waste, should halt immediately: the public dangers are simply too high. DOE's de facto outlaw status in complying with environmental laws must also change. EPA should be able to enforce the same standards for DOE as for the private sector. And the only way to ensure that DOE effectively cleans up its wastes is to set up a long-term spending mechanism such as Superfund. Regardless of how these issues are resolved, the radioactive and hazardous material that is the legacy of the nuclear arms race will affect surrounding communities for centuries