'Hot' waste issue heats up at Capitol

A state lawmaker and radioactive waste giant Envirocare of Utah appear to be at odds over the definition of "hotter" waste.

Rep. Stephen Urquhart, R-St. George, said Thursday he plans to move forward with legislation that forces Envirocare to receive approval of the Legislature and governor before accepting any waste "hotter" in radioactivity than what is currently permitted under its federal and state licenses.

The bill, expected to be filed by the Legislature's deadline Thursday, has struck a chord with Envirocare because Urquhart doesn't want to make any exceptions.

At issue are two license amendments on which Envirocare is seeking approval from the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

Currently Envirocare's landfill in Tooele County primarily handles Class A waste, which consists of mostly dirt that's slightly contaminated with radioactivity from government cleanup projects. It also has a "mixed waste cell," which contains a mix of radioactive and hazardous materials.

Envirocare has asked DEQ to review an order issued to it by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that would allow the company to take "special nuclear material" in larger containers.

On the surface, the waste materials sound ominous. The waste does contain plutonium and other ingredients that go into the making of a nuclear bomb, but none of the materials is "hotter" in radioactivity than what Envirocare's Class A license allows.

"Envirocare is authorized to take larger volumes of liquids, but not hotter," said Dane Finerfrock, executive director of the Utah Division of Radiation Control. The amendment is still under review, he added.

The company also is seeking DEQ approval to take waste that contains the same radioactivity levels at its mixed waste cell that it can take at its Class A operation.

"These types of things are to improve our operation efficiency," said Tim Barney, senior vice president of Envirocare. These license modifications have been in the works for over a year, he added.

"We felt like the policy decision has already been made for Class A waste," Barney said. "These amendments do not exceed the Class A limits, and therefore we are wondering why it is included in the bill."