Whatever is done with such enduring radioactive waste, it should never be "permanently" buried. It will only have to be dug up again, after containment fails in a few hundred years, repackaged at great expense and risk, and reburied for another few hundred years, and...

It was incredibly stupid to have generated this waste in the first place, and incredibly stupid that many countries continue to do this, with no safe and secure way of desposing of it.

The short term solution that is most acceptable is to store it in retrievable form at a site that is also fortified against terrorist activities. It is inevitable that nuclear waste storage sites will become targets for terrorists. Once nuclear waste starts to burn, after an explosion or plane crash, the radioactive plume will render the surrounding countryside uninhabitable for centuries.

Yes, it's good to be concerned and if you're a newcomer to this issue you'll find a warm welcome from those who have been working on it for the last 40 years. Join their organizations, send money, and stay involved for the long haul.

Charley Noble, whose parents courageously challenged the siting of Maine's only nuclear power plant back in 1968