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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Utah's Radiation Control Board has put off making a decision on whether to place a moratorium on the disposal of depleted uranium in the state.
The board voted 6-4 on Tuesday to seek guidance from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the issue in September. It was the second straight month the issue was tabled.
Depleted uranium is classified as the least dangerous type of low-level radioactive waste and has been disposed of for 18 years at the EnergySolutions Inc. facility in the Utah desert 70 miles west of Salt Lake City.
However, the NRC has acknowledged the material is different than other low-level waste because it becomes more radioactive over time for hundreds of thousands of years.
The moratorium is being sought by an environmental watchdog group.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)