Foreign waste deal still on table

EnergySolutions Inc. said Friday it is in settlement talks with Utah aimed at getting the state to drop its objections to importing foreign nuclear waste for disposal in the state.

The company wants to import as much as 20,000 tons of low-level radioactive waste from Italy through the ports of Charleston, S.C., or New Orleans. After processing in Tennessee, about 1,600 tons would be disposed of in the desert about 70 miles west of Salt Lake City.

If approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, it would be the largest amount of radioactive waste ever imported into the country.

"We believe that it is in the best interest of the state, the citizens of Utah and EnergySolutions to settle this matter and we hope the state considers this proposal," EnergySolutions spokesman Mark Walker wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

"Since this issue is still before the court and in settlement discussions it would be inappropriate to comment further," he wrote.

The talks began after a federal judge ruled against an effort by Western states to block the import of the nuclear waste. In addition, Utah is facing a $700 million budget shortfall and newly installed Gov. Gary Herbert is trying not to raise any taxes.

Herbert's spokeswoman Angie Welling didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Paul Murphy, spokesman for the Utah Attorney General's Office, declined to comment.

Vanessa Pierce, executive director of the nuclear waste watchdog group Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah, was angered the state would consider any type of settlement.

"If Gov. Herbert signs off on this deal, plain and simple, he's a weak leader. He's unwilling to stand up to EnergySolutions in order to protect our state's rights," she said.

Former Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. objected to bringing the waste to Utah and used a regional compact created by Congress that manages low-level radioactive waste for eight states to block it.

In February, the company said it would offer Utah 50 percent of its net revenues from the disposal of foreign nuclear waste. Huntsman scoffed at the proposal, saying the long-term impact wouldn't be worth a temporary financial windfall.

Since then, a federal judge has ruled that the regional compact doesn't have the authority to regulate the facility and keep the foreign waste out. The state and compact have appealed the decision.