"We believe that any country that has the technological capability of producing nuclear power within its borders should not seek to dispose of its waste outside them," says the letter, which had unanimous support. "Development of nuclear power should go hand in hand with the development of disposal options."
The Utah Radiation Control Board signed off on tentative wording Friday that urges federal regulators to deny EnergySolutions a license to import 20,000 tons of low-level nuclear waste. Some of it would be recycled at a company plant in Tennessee. A small portion would end up in the company's specialized landfill here.
The site, often referred to as Clive, is about 80 miles west of Salt Lake City in Tooele County. It is one of just three of its kind in the nation and will soon be the only disposal option for waste from 36 states beginning this summer. That fact has many concerned about having enough capacity for waste generated in the United States.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has fielded opinions like the board's from more than 500 people and organizations during its public comment period in the last month.
Unprecedented interest has prompted the NRC to provide another 90 days to comment, until June 10.
Critics of EnergySolutions' plans include Democratic politicians - U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson of Utah, Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal and U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon of Tennessee - anti-nuclear groups and hundreds of ordinary residents.
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has said an agreement he struck last year that caps the amount of waste EnergySolutions can accept at its Tooele County site also bars him from objecting to the waste. He is relying on the board's letter to represent the official state position.
And, like many critics, Huntsman says the NRC should consider foreign waste in light of the low-level capacity crunch in the United States.
"My recommendation would be that the NRC take a good look at the federal policy," the Republican governor said recently, "because there's no reason to bring in waste from out of the country if we've got our own capacity problems here that are largely going to be unmet because of the limited number of landfills."
EnergySolutions insisted Friday, and in a Feb. 21 letter to the radiation board, that it has no intention of selling itself as a disposal option worldwide.
Company officials note that just a fraction of the imported waste - about 1,600 tons or less than 1 percent of the waste buried at the landfill in an average year - would be disposed in Utah.
"We agree with you that Clive is a national asset, and we understand our responsibility in protecting this asset," company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Steve Creamer wrote. "It is essential to maintain Clive's capacity principally for domestic needs, and we intend to do that.
''The Clive facility has sufficient capacity to ensure that their needs are met, today and in the future."
fahys@sltrib.com
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* THOMAS BURR contributed to this article.
What's next
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has extended the deadline for comments on the Italian waste proposal to June 10.
* A regional group that oversees low-level nuclear waste is expected to consider the proposal at a meeting in May. The 11-state group includes Utah.
