NRC Postpones Decision Whether to Allow Italian Nuclear Waste into Utah

Date: October 7, 2008

Source: News Room

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is postponing a decision on whether to allow EnergySolutions to import nuclear waste from Italy for disposal at its Tooele County facility in Utah. The NRC is awaiting a ruling in federal court over whether the eight-state "Northwest Compact" has jurisdiction to block the planned waste imports. EnergySolutions argues that only the federal government can regulate it as a private enterprise engaging in international business and that the compact lacks authority to regulate low-level nuclear waste. Lawyers for the compact argue the opposite: that Congress set up the regional waste program to control the flow of all low-level radioactive material in and out of the eight-state region. Under a contract that has been in effect since 1991, the compact has permitted EnergySolutions to operate a low-level waste site within compact boundaries, but foreign waste was never specifically allowed. Members in Congress have taken notice. Democratic Reps. Jim Matheson of Utah and Bart Gordon of Tennessee recently introduced legislation to ban most foreign waste.

To learn more about EnergySolutions, visit: www.energysolutions.com.

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