In his letter to the NRC, Gordon wrote that the Italy proposal would be "the first attempt by a U.S. waste processing company to import large amounts of (low-level radioactive waste) as part of an agreement to decommission foreign nuclear reactors." If granted, "many other such license applications will follow."

That is a point reiterated by Matheson, who is concerned that the proposal could result in yet more waste from other countries coming to the United States.

That could be a problem, since the space available in U.S. low-level waste sites would fill up in the long run if the U.S. nuclear industry expands, as many expect.

"The uncertainties surrounding disposal costs and availability and other limitations in (low-level radioactive waste) management are taking on even greater significance as the United States embarks on developing new nuclear power plants, which would eventually create even more" low-level waste, the GAO reported last year.

At present, the United States has 104 commercial nuclear power plants, each generating on average about 12,000 cubic feet of low-level nuclear waste — about 15 million cubic feet annually, the GAO says. The United States has three facilities that accept the least-toxic "Class A" radioactive waste.

But the site in Barnwell, S.C., is nearly full and in June will be closed to waste from all but three states. The site in Richland, Wash., is accepting only limited amounts.

That leaves EnergySolutions' site at Clive, in Utah's Tooele County, which took more than 99 percent of the nation's low-level waste in 2006. There appears to be "sufficient disposal capacity" for "Class A" waste, but "uncertain future access" for other categories, the GAO says.

Walker says the EnergySolutions facility has "at least 20 years of capacity" and that the Italian material represents less than 1 percent of the annual average amount disposed at the site.

EnergySolutions, in a December letter, revealed to NRC that three of the eight Italy sites from which it expects to get material "may be comparable" to U.S. Superfund sites, akin to sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as among America's most toxic waste sites.

So far, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has not put a halt to the EnergySolutions plan. Yet concern seems to be growing in Utah, including the state's 13-member Radiation Control Board. At its December meeting, two members expressed unhappiness with the Italian waste import plan. A statement by the board reflecting opposition to it is expected, some observers say, although it is unclear what effect that might have.

Activists are also ramping up calls for public opposition.

"We see this as the camel's nose under the tent," says Vanessa Pierce, executive director of Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah, a coalition of environmental groups. "If we establish a precedent for importing very large quantities of foreign nuclear waste, we're going to make the U.S. and Utah the dumping ground for the rest of the world."

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E-MAIL: sspeckman@desnews.com; suzanne@desnews.com