nuclear-news

Lawmakers act against waste movements

Lawmakers act against waste movements World Nuclear News 15 January 2009Legislation has been filed to stop the disposal of any foreign origin radioactive waste in the USA. It is a reaction to Energy Solutions’ contract to recycle metals from decommissioned power plants in Italy. The move comes after a long battle between Energy Solutions and various local officials and lawmakers unhappy about the recycling contract…………………………

Bart Gordon, Jim Matheson and Lee Terry submitted the legislation, entitled the Radioactive Import Deterrence Act, to Congress yesterday. The bill was also put to the Senate by Lamar Alexander.

 

If enacted under president-elect Barack Obama, the bill would prohibit the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from authorising the entrance of foreign-origin radioactive wastes when a portion of the waste would be disposed of in America, “unless the President deems the importation meets certain national and international goals,” Alexander said…………………………………….In public statements yesterday, Congressman Bart Gordon’s description of Energy Solutions’ plans was notably short on detail: “A company is currently trying to import 20,000 tons of Italian nuclear waste in the USA, where it would be reprocessed in Tennessee and then shipped to Utah for disposal.”

January 16, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | wastes