Have you seen the HBO miniseries 'Chernobyl'?

I did - and it's scary and jarring. It made me think about Maine Yankee. Remember our own nuclear power plant in Wiscasset?

USA Today says Maine Yankee could be home to the most expensive storage facility in the United States.  It costs $10 million a year to have armed guards watch 60 cement and steel canisters loaded with tons of spent nuclear fuel - about 9,000 tons of waste, according to the newspaper.

Maine Yankee stopped spitting out power back in 1996, and they thought it would just be a few years before they sent the waste to the Nevada desert. But the federal government baled on building a facility to hold the waste.

It's been 23 years and Wiscasset and other places are still waiting.

Maine Yankee Google maps
Maine Yankee Google maps
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On top of the waste, there's about 200 acres of land that hasn't been developed in the area. Not because the nuclear waste isn't safe....but because, who wants 60 concrete and steel drums hanging out near you?

Wiscasset officials are still hopeful that one day the federal government will make good on their promise and take the spent fuel. For now...it's remains under guard and a forgotten part of Wiscasset's history.

 

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