Board grapples with EnergySolutions' blended-waste proposal

SALT LAKE CITY — A decision on the importation of Italian nuclear waste to Utah is pending before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

State Radiation Control Board members are wrangling through piles of comments on a proposed rule to govern the storage of depleted uranium.

With their radioactive plate already heaped with issues related to the storage of nuclear waste, regulators are now grappling with an EnergySolutions proposal to store blended waste.

The process of blending waste streams incorporates taking the least radioactive material, so-called "Class A" waste, and mixing with hotter waste — Class B and Class C material.

Blending is not prohibited by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and as long as the waste meets concentration limits for Class A at the time of disposal, it is classified under that category.

Gov. Gary Herbert, joined by the state Department of Environmental Quality, has issued a policy position against the practice, and they have been joined in their opposition by EnergySolutions' competitors.

At a meeting of the Radiation Control Board on Tuesday, industry competitors said allowing the Clive facility to take blended waste would cut them out of the competitive loop.

William Dornsife, executive vice president of licensing and regulatory affairs for Waste Control Specialists in Andrews, Texas, said allowing EnergySolutions to take blended waste would damage the economic viability of his facility.

"Without the import of B and C waste, it is not cost effective to operate this facility," Dornsife said. "We need to level the playing field."

But board Chairman Peter Jenkins said that barring threats to public health and safety, he questions why the board would be asked to help a Texas competitor.

"That, to me, is not in Utah's interest," Jenkins said. "Why would I, as a member of this control board, say I am going to vote to send money to another state?"

Jenkins asked members of the board's subcommittee studying the issue to do additional research to possibly arrive at a recommendation.

Additionally, various parties who have stake in the issue have been asked to elaborate in writing on a series of questions, notably why it should or should not be prohibited for disposal in Utah and the potential health and safety impacts.

e-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com