Oh and I was doing some reading on why Europe "recycles" their spent rods, but not the United States.
Nuclear reprocessing can recover about 96% of a spent fuel rod for reuse, but because 1% of each rod becomes Plutonium-239 and 240, which can be used to create nuclear weapons, nuclear reprocessing is actually illegal in the United States, due to proliferation concerns. However, if a reactor is being used properly, the plutonium is reactor-grade, not weapons-grade, which would make it unsuitable, but not impossible to create a nuclear weapon.
So the next time we talk about Yucca Mountain or see pictures of overflowing nuclear waste barrels, realize that probably 96% of that could be reused, if the U.S. would reprocess it. Maybe that process should be kept in mind, and we should create the oversight to ensure that the plutonium waste is disposed of properly and not used for weaponry. Apparently, Europe can do this safely, so I'd like to think that "the most powerful nation in the history of the world" can do it too.
Melon