It seems residents of Nevada and Russia have something in common - they don't want to be repositories for spent nuclear waste, and the Bush Administration doesn't seem to care.
The administration continues to push for completion of the Yucca Mountain site despite its many problems, and is now throwing support behind Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is planning to make his country into a nuclear waste repository to permanently store waste from several countries.
That's despite polls in Russia that show 90 percent of the Russian population opposes the plan.
It's unlikely that even if the plan is approved any waste from this country would end up in Russia. Instead, it would take nuclear waste from countries such as Japan and Taiwan. That nuclear fuel originated in the United States, which means Bush would have to give approval before it can be sent to Russia.
Putin's motivation is the billions of dollars his country could make from storing nuclear waste. Reportedly, the Bush Administration sees it as an opportunity to expand nuclear energy around the world. But it also needs to take security of the waste into consideration, and Russia has never been a stable country.
The administration should also keep in mind that democracy works best when it does the will of the people. And the will of the people in Russia, and in Nevada, is to not become dumping sites for nuclear waste.