Utah House OKs Bill that could Pave Way for EnergySolutions to bring in Depleted Uranium

摘要

Against bipartisan opposition, the House advanced a bill that could ease the pathway for depleted uranium-and other radioactive waste that grows more dangerous over time - to reach Utah for permanent disposal. Current law prohibits Class B and C radioactive waste from burial in Utah, a ban that is complicating EnergySolutions' hopes for accepting up to 700,000 tons of depleted uranium, a byproduct of the uranium-enrichment process, at its Clive landfill in Tooele County. Depleted uranium is less hazardous than most Class A waste, but over thousands of years, it morphs into something far more dangerous. HB220, sponsored by Rep. Carl Albrecht, R-Richfield, would require such waste to be classified at the time of acceptance, a provision that critics fear amounts to an end run around the state's ban on these more hazardous categories of waste. In a 51-20 vote, the House approved the measure, advancing it to the Senate.