The nuclear options

By Louis Jacobson
Published on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 at 10:32 a.m.

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"We have solved the problem. ... Scientists are now saying leave the nuclear waste where it is."

Harry Reid, Friday, February 19th, 2010.

Ruling: False | Details

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The cooling towers of Three Mile Island's Unit 1 Nuclear Power Plant pour steam into the sky.

Sen. Harry Reid, a Democrat and the Senate majority leader, was recently asked again about a nuclear waste storage proposal for his home state of Nevada.

"Scientists are now saying leave the nuclear waste where it is, in deep ground storage," Reid said in an interview on Feb. 19, 2010. "And when I say deep ground, (I mean) 10 feet underground. The new nuclear power plants are going to be built, and it's terrific that the president stepped forward on this. I'm not against nuclear power. I'm against bringing nuclear waste to Nevada. Scientists say leave it where it is. That's what we have to do."

If only it were that simple. We reviewed the recent science on nuclear waste and found nuclear scientists who did not agree with Reid. We rated his statement False. Read our full report for details.