Analyzing Rhetorical Strategies in "Nuclear Waste Solution Seen in Desert Salt Beds"

Nanodudek. "Three Elements of an Argument" 08/08/2013 via Wikipedia
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Appeals to credibility or character:

Which items on the bullet list on pg. 183 are present?

• References to credible sources

"“It’s eternity,” said Dirk Roberson, a guide for the frequent tours the Energy Department gives to visitors to the salt mine"

• Tone

The overall tone of the piece is very professional. This gives it an air of credibility.

• Word Choice

The author chooses to use some technical vocabulary without getting to technical for her audience, as seen here: "The material buried at the plant, which began accepting waste in 1999, is limited by law to plutonium waste from making weapons, which is exceptionally long-lived but not highly radioactive."

• Appeals to values shared by the audience

The article appeals to the audiences value of a safe way to store nuclear waste. Wald writes, "Rev. David Wilson Rogers, of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Carlsbad, said: 'This facility has the opportunity to give a blessing to the world by having a safe repository.'"
The above appeals to credibility all work towards the same goal. They create a very professional tone that appears to be well researched and understood by the author. The author has used these techniques to create a convincing piece that breathes professionalism without letting his own biases intrude on the content.
 
Appeal to Emotion:

• Emtionally compelling narrative

"Rev. David Wilson Rogers, of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Carlsbad, said: 'This facility has the opportunity to give a blessing to the world by having a safe repository.'"

• Images

The article includes a slideshow of images about the article as can be seen here.
These are the only two examples of pathos that I could find for the article. Because the article is not trying to convince the reader of a position on the subject, it does not use emotion based arguments to push its point. Any more appeals to emotion would cause the author to lose some credibility.  

Appeal to Logic

• Interviews

As quoted above, the article employs numerous interviews from many different people who are involved in the project.

• Expert Opinions

Allison M. Macfarlane, a geologist who is chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and who served on a presidential study commission established after the Yucca plan was canceled, said WIPP proves it can be done.

• Effective organization of sentences, paragraphs, ideas, images, etc.

As is characteristic of the New York Times,  the piece is very well organizes and contains great structure and transitions between ideas.
The author's first and foremost goal of the article is to sound logical. The information is presented in a logical fashion and approaches to subject matter from all possible angles. The author avoids any logical fallacies throughout the piece. The overall effect is an easy-to-follow article that is well supported.