Comments about ‘Weather slows unloading of depleted uranium at EnergySolution’

It is nice to hear of the state and federal controls on this to make sure that the material is being shipped and stored safely. I was surprised at all the hoopla this week about DU that can be stored safely and may be dangerous in 50,000 years when Salt Lake was suffering with the worst air quality in the nation. Let's focus on today's problems!

Even Mother Nature doesn't want this imported into Utah...

Utah is the perfect place for it. Wasteland and empty nothingness. Even if it leaks, who can tell?

they are in a hurry to get it unloaded before someone changes their mind and sends the train back.

I don't have a problem with this stuff coming to Utah so long as all the necessary safeguards are in place, and it looks as though everyone is doing all they can in that regard.

Seems to me that all ENergy Solutions is interested in is $$$$$! $22 million dollars for this job alone, I think greed is setting in with the CEO's! Why would they put profit over our health? Utah needs this shipment like a hole in the head.

Such a pity that all the government agencies will find a way for EnergySolutions to be able to receive uranium waste, so they can make the extreme profit. But when a Native American nation wants to store uranium waste (Private Fuel Storage)that is in long term storage containers, the politicians block it. Maybe if the Indians had a sky box for Utah politicians to use, they would see things differently.

Everyone scared about this shouldn't be. The NRC is the place you want to go to get information on this stuff. The have the definitions of everything that can be stored in Utah.

1. Class A LLRW - VERY low radiation levels probably lower that what you get naturally every year. The half life is generally around 5 years. So, even though it's not dangerous in the first place, after 15 years it's degraded significantly.
2. 11e.(2) - You dig up earth, take out Uranium, then everything left is this 11e.(2) waste (oh no, we are putting back what we took out!).
3. NORM - NATURALLY Occuring Radioactive Materials which come mostly from oil and gas production. Utah uses oil and gas right?
4. Low Level Mixed Waste - This is the worst of the bunch and still isn't worth getting bent over (generally very small quantities). You guys whining about DU should be whining about this, if anything. It's less radioactive than 1,2 or 3 but has chemical waste mixed in.

America does know how to store it and we do a very good job of it.

Another step toward making Utah the waste site of choice for America.

Governor Huntsman when you need him? They should put this shipment in Steve Creamer basement. One day Energy Solutions will go out of business and then the State of Utah will be held responsible for this waste. Mean while Steve Creamer will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Vote Gary "I sold my soul" Herbert out of office.

The drums in the photo don't look anything like the drums on Matheson's mailer. But Matheson would NEVER lie to me. After all, he IS a politician (sarcasm intended).

"Depleted uranium" is an oxymoron. The NRC's word games or definitions don't change the fact that "depleted uranium" is high level waste, and continues to become more dangerous over time. The governor's action of allowing the waste into Utah is a crime against the people of Utah. Utahns who want the waste, should be free to kill themselves anyway they want, but the don't have the right to make that decision for others. If Energy Solutions gave $22,000,000 to us, it wouldn't be enough for the effect on ours and future generations.

If it's so wonderful, why is every state in the country fighting it's importation? And it can't be safely stored.

Nevada's leaders stopped it from going to Yucca flats, until a study could be done to find out how it can safely be stored.

Does that sound like they know what they are doing? No. There goes the film and tourist industry. Who makes the worlds toxic dump a destination vacation?

DU is NATURAL. You have Uranium made up of, among other things, U-235 and U-238. All DU is U-238 without the U-235. 238 naturally decays but taking the 235 out of it doesn't make it dangerous. Anyone that states that DU is necessarily more dangerous than natural Uranium is wrong.

DU is not natural, it's created by man from the enrichment of Uranium. It exists no where in the world naturally. It has a different composition, half like etc. It's also highly compacted. Dropping a penny on ones head is not dangerous. Dropping 40 tons of pennies is.

I'm concerned about uranium dust blowing off the barrels. I'm wondering how healthy it is to inhale or ingest a particle of uranium dust, that could be trapped in ones body for a long time. During the shipment, did the train chug directly to Clive, or stop in Salt Lake City to have the barrels transferred to trucks bound for Clive?