Font ResizeI attended the Utah Board of Radiation Control meeting on June 9, which included a discussion of a moratorium on importing depleted uranium. EnergySolutions sent two lawyers, who implied that if the board imposed a moratorium to safeguard against a potential risk to public health in Utah that EnergySolutions would sue to overturn it.
For a company that claims to have Utah's best interests at heart, this is a disturbing gesture. If there is nothing wrong with its operation, companies send engineers to explain that. They send lawyers when they have something to hide.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is about to revise the rules governing the disposal of depleted uranium because, by its own admission, it didn't know enough about the stuff when the rules where made. When asked if it will continue to bring depleted uranium to Utah, EnergySolutions repeatedly states that it "will do whatever is allowed by the law." It has other revenue streams; it does not need to bully Utah's regulators into allowing depleted uranium when the national regulatory body is concerned that depleted uranium may be more dangerous than previously expected.
Does EnergySolutions truly care about Utah? I am no longer sure.
Tim Fine
Sandy
