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U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson on Thursday urged federal regulators to reject a Utah company's request to import radioactive waste from Italy.
In doing so, the Utah Democrat became the first political leader in the state to speak out against plans by Salt Lake City based-EnergySolutions to bring waste from Italy's dismantled nuclear program to the United States for processing and disposal.
Wyoming's governor has raised objections to the plan, as have a congressman from Tennessee and a state senator from South Carolina. Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has said he would not try to block the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission license as long as the waste falls within the state's capacity and radioactivity limits.
Like other critics of the plan, Matheson said Congress never envisioned the United States becoming a dumping ground for the world's low-level radioactive waste - especially because of the nation's own waste-site crunch. The Utah congressman serves on two committees that have expressed interest in starting a national policy discussion on the subject, the Science and Technology and Energy and Commerce committees.
"It's bad public policy," Matheson said in an interview with The Tribune, "and I don't want it coming to Utah."
The company proposes to ship about 20,000 tons of low-level radioactive waste to its Tennessee treatment plant, then dispose of the remaining 1,600 tons in its specialized Tooele County landfill. The Utah site is one of three such facilities nationwide, and this summer it will become the only disposal site for low-level waste from 36 states.
Spokesman Mark Walker said the company is confident the NRC will approve the import license after its technical and public review. He said the Italy waste amounts to just five or six trainloads a year for five years.
"It [the NRC comment period] is the appropriate forum for Congressman Matheson and others to either voice their support or opposition to the application," he said.
A Tennessee newspaper reported Thursday that the NRC has already received 289 comments on the application, far more than normally seen on import requests like these.