Judd said the county reasoned that there was no need for expansion of the waste-disposal industry in Tooele County. Now, he said, the county seems to be contradicting itself by allowing Envirocare to expand on that same land. He said Cedar Mountain only sold its land because its request for a permit had been denied and it began to see the land as useless.

"I'm very concerned about the process," Judd said. "I don't feel that it was fair. We sell (the land) as junk property, and three months later it's approved to again make hundreds of millions of dollars for this company."

But Lawrence said Cedar Mountain and Envirocare are in different situations. He said Cedar Mountain was asking to build a new disposal facility, whereas Envirocare is asking to use more of its property to do the same amount of business it's already doing.

"Does that mean the industry is expanding in Tooele County? I don't think so," Lawrence said.

An environmental group known as the Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL Utah) also opposes the expansion, characterizing it as a way of "further entrenching Utah as a dumping ground for radioactive waste," according to a press release the group issued last month.

Envirocare must still win the approval of the Legislature and the governor before it can expand its land use. The company had hoped to see the issue discussed at Tuesday's special legislative session, but it was left off the session's call.

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E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com