Germany Seeks Permanent Nuclear Waste Storage Site

LUBMIN, GERMANY - JUNE 08: A symbol for radioactivity is visible on a radioactively-contaminated container once used to transport nuclear fuel rods at the nearby Greifswald former nuclear power plant at the Zwischenlager Nord temporary nuclear waste storage facility on June 8, 2011 in Lubmin, Germany. The Zwischenlager Nord, run by Energiewerke Nord GmbH, contains low, medium and high radioactive waste as well as spent nuclear fuel rods from both west and east German nuclear power plants and research reactors. The German government has stepped up its efforts to create a permanent nuclear storage site, and the former mines at Schacht Konrad and Gorleben are under consideration, though both remain controversial. The government recently announced it will phase out nuclear energy in Germany completely by 2022. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)