It doesn’t make sense to have nuclear waste stored near schools, churches, ballfields and homes.

But that's the current reality throughout America, as this country has temporary nuclear waste storage sites across 39 states.

That's why it made perfect sense when the U.S. Senate voted to make Yucca Mountain a permanent storage site to store the nation's nuclear waste.

In the late 1980s, politicians designated Yucca Mountain a viable place to store what has literally become tons of nuclear waste. And it's finally taken this long to get political approval for this project to begin.

Of course, there's still a few hurdles left before this becomes official. But it only makes sense.

Yucca Mountain is a site that's 75 miles northwest of Las Vegas. If you look on a map, you'll see that it's in the middle of the desert.

Opponents of the plan say there's risks involved moving the waste and transporting it across the country to the Nevada site.

It's too bad those with that viewpoint are so shortsighted.

The risk isn't keeping this nuclear waste where it's at, so we can throw away another 20 years figuring out where to put it. The risk isn't trying to figure out how to move it across our country.

The risk is what we've been doing for the last two decades.

Nothing.

Especially in times when this country is already on edge because of terroristic concerns, it only makes sense that nuclear waste is stored at the Yucca Mountain site.

Safeguarding the health and security of American citizens is paramount. Having nuclear waste stored 1,000 feet below the surface in the middle of the desert, we believe, is a much better option than having it in our own backyards.