Arent said many people have asked her to compare the two measures. The language from her bill is in the Bramble substitute bill, she said.

"But I guess if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I choose to be flattered," she said. Arent added that the new bill does all that can be done to keep B and C waste out of Utah.

"I want this ban to be as permanent as possible," she said.

She has been warned that in the legislative session, language in SB24 could be softened so the ban is not as complete, she said. "I will watch, as many of us will, to make sure this does not happen."

Meanwhile, "I am very pleased this bill clearly bans all levels of radioactive wastes higher than what is currently allowed under our existing licenses," Arent said.

"The Legislature needs to send a clear message that hotter radioactive waste is not welcome in Utah. We must not become a dumping ground for the nation."

The law already in effect does ban B and C wastes unless the Legislature and the governor specifically approve bringing in these wastes, said Sen. Al Mansell, R-Midvale.

It's not a change in policy that these hotter wastes are banned, Mansell said.

"B and C is banned from the state of Utah today and has been banned from the state of Utah at all times, since these original laws were passed. The only way we could have had B and C waste in our state is if the governor and the Legislature acted affirmatively to change the ban.

"So when we say we're doing something great and wonderful because we're changing the policy," the Legislature is acting to make the ban permanent.

"But it's only permanent 'til the Legislature changes its mind," he said. "Which is also true the way the ban is right now."

Mansell added this is a good piece of legislation. But it's not right to say the policy wasn't in place over the years.

He charged that during the two years that the task force operated, the group learned that "much of what we were being told was not true about the danger of some of these things out at Envirocare."

Scott K. Jenkins, R-Plain City, noted that he served on the task force for two years. The group visited all the sites that handle hazardous and radioactive wastes, he said. "I feel very safe" about the companies' actions, Jenkins added.

Following the vote, Jason Groenewold, director of the activist group Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah, said, "We're one step closer," but the battle for the legislation is "far from over."

Senate passage was an encouraging sign, Groenewold added, "and we want to make sure that this ban is formalized on the books."

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E-mail: bau@desnews.com