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- A Utah company, Energy Solutions, seeks approval to import 1.31 million cubic yards of low-level radioactive waste from Canada.
- The proposal worries some environmentalists, concerned about potential hazards and Utah becoming an international waste disposal site.
- The proposal will be discussed at a Dec. 19 meeting of the NorthWest Interstate Compact on Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management.
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah company is seeking permission to bring in low-level radioactive waste from Canada for disposal at a facility in Tooele County, which has sparked concern from some environmentalists.
EnergySolutions proposes importing up to 1.31 million cubic yards of waste generated by the civilian nuclear power industry in Ontario, Canada, and has launched efforts to get the permits to move forward with the plans. The waste would be deposited at its Clive facility, about 80 miles west of Salt Lake City.
"State of Utah and EnergySolutions believe this will enhance the global nuclear sector, including direct advantages for Utah's nuclear ecosystem," reads a presentation on the plans prepared by EnergySolutions.
Many Utah leaders are eager to pursue nuclear power production in the state, underscored by the announcement last month of plans to build a nuclear power generating facility in the Brigham City area in coming years.
EnergySolutions officials didn't respond to requests for comment on the proposal, focus of planned discussion at a Dec. 19 meeting of the NorthWest Interstate Compact on Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management, one of the bodies that must sign off on the proposal. The EnergySolutions presentation says the plans have the support of state officials.
Environmentalists, though, have started voicing jitters.
"The concern is that we do not know exactly what the waste will be, that the volume is extremely large, that it includes mixed waste (radioactive and hazardous chemical waste) and would lead to expanded disposal cells at the Clive facility," Carmen Valdez said. She's senior policy associate for Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah, or HEAL, an environmental advocacy group.
That the waste would be coming from Canada is also a concern. Accepting foreign waste, Valdez said, "could set a precedent for Utah to become a disposal site for international waste, not just waste from other states. Past proposals to bring in international waste were rejected for this reason."
She isn't sure how potentially dangerous the waste from Canada would be. It would be less radioactive than "high-level spent fuel," she said, "but still contains long-lived isotopes that require strict handling and secure disposal." The transport process, she added, raises the specter of accidents or spills.
The proposed quantity, too, is concerning. As is, she said, EnergySolutions handles "hundreds of thousands of cubic yards" of waste per year from utilities, hospital, research institutions and industry.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, low-level radioactive waste includes resins and filters used to clean water at nuclear power plants and contaminated tools, components and piping from such facilities. EnergySolutions seeks permission to dispose of class A low-level radioactive waste, which requires less rigorous treatment and handling than class B or C waste. "Class A low level waste loses its radioactive hazard in less than 100 years," according to the EPA.
The plans were initial focus of debate at a meeting of the Northwest Interstate Compact on Nov. 25, when nine commenters from around Utah, the rest of the United States and Canada voiced opposition to the proposal, according to a Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah press release. The coming Dec. 19 meeting of the group represents the continuation of the November meeting. The Northwest Interstate Compact represents eight Western states, including Utah, and helps manage disposal of low-level radioactive waste.
Aside from Northwest Interstate Compact support, the plans would require a license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to bring in foreign radioactive waste and a permit from Canada, according to Valdez.
