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SALT LAKE CITY -- A change in classification means depleted uranium could be coming to Utah's west desert in bulk.
On Wednesday, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted to regulate depleted uranium as Class A low-level waste.
Depleted uranium is the by-product, or tails, of the uranium enrichment process, a key point in the production of fuel for nuclear power reactors. It is stable in the short-term. It's used as part of dental porcelain and to make armor-piercing bullets like those used in the Gulf wars.
But Vanessa Pierce, executive director of the Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah says depleted uranium is much more toxic thousands of years down the road.
"We think it's very problematic because the EnergySolutions site isn't designed to have that kind of longevity," she said.
EnergySolutions already stores small amounts of depleted uranium. The NRC's decision opens the door to 1.4 million tons coming to Utah.
The company says the NRC's decision is based on sound science.
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
