Italian nuclear waste fact sheet

EnergySolutions is asking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a license to import 20,000 tons of radioactive waste from dismantled nuclear reactors in Italy. The waste will be melted down and incinerated at an EnergySolutions’ facility in Tennessee and then 1,600 tons of radioactive ash will be dumped in Utah.

If approved by the NRC and O.K.'d by Gov. Huntsman, this import would set a dangerous precedent for Utah and the U.S. to become the world's nuclear waste dump.

Despite EnergySolutions’ claims to the contrary, the Italian waste import is not “business as usual.” In fact, it appears to be many times larger than ALL previous waste imports granted by the NRC combined.

Allowing EnergySolutions to dispose this waste will set a bad precedent for the large scale disposal of foreign nuclear waste in the U.S. and Utah:

• No foreign country has disposal options for all of its low-level radioactive waste.
• EnergySolutions has identified foreign contracts as key for its shareholders.
• Bottom line: This is not a one-time deal and could be a sign of much more to come.

Disposal space for U.S. low-level waste is limited. EnergySolutions is the only disposal option for 36 states, with 96% of commercial low-level nuclear waste being dumped here in Utah. We should not compound this problem by agreeing to dispose of the world’s nuclear waste.

If EnergySolutions’ dump fills up, it will pressure the state even harder to expand. Because of legislation passed last year, the Legislature and governor have NO say over future expansions. Only the Division of Radiation Control and Radiation Control Board continue to have oversight.

The other low-level waste dumps in the U.S.—Barnwell, SC and Hanford, WA—have blocked foreign waste shipments to their facilities. If they can do it, we can too.

Lawmakers from SC, TN, KY, TX, and WY have all raised concerns about this issue and it’s time for Utah to do the same.

Disposing the world’s nuclear waste is bad for the image of our state and our nation, not to mention our health and environment.

The decision to allow foreign nuclear waste into the U.S. and Utah really comes down to the state:

• The NRC is looking to Utah for guidance to approve or deny this request
• Gov. Huntsman has the authority through the Northwest Interstate Compact to block this proposal and say that Utah is not open to foreign nuclear waste.