nuclear-news

Utah’s environmental regulatory boards getting cosier with nuclear industry

Merger of environmental boards stokes concerns, opposition from Utah Radiation Control Board, Deseret News, By Amy Joi O’Donoghue, March 12 2015 SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Radiation Control Board voted unanimously to voice its opposition to the state Legislature’s move to dismantle the organization, declaring the change is ill-advised and members should have been consulted.

In an emergency vote on a “position statement” Wednesday, the five members present approved sending the document to all 104 members of the Utah Legislature and Gov. Gary Herbert.

The action is in response to SB244, sponsored by Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, which passed the Utah Senate on Wednesday and now awaits Herbert’s signature.

Dayton’s measure, which has the nod of Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s executive director Amanda Smith, combines two divisions under Smith’s purview — Radiation Control and Solid and Hazardous Waste……..

Representatives from the radiological community, Smith added, feel their numbers have been “diluted” because the board’s composition is bigger…….

Radioactive waste watchdog organizations such as HEAL Utah complained that the board composition weakens oversight of industry in general and EnergySolutions in particular. EnergySolutions operates the low-level radioactive waste dump in Tooele County.

“We decided early on that we didn’t have any problem with the merger,” said Matt Pacenza, HEAL Utah director. “We waited and waited and waited to see what the board composition would look like, and we were really unhappy. It is significantly more dominated by the industry it regulates. It is going to make it that much more challenging of an environment to raise issues on nuclear waste and hazardous waste and that concerns us.”……..

Pacenza said Utah’s environmental regulatory boards are already too cozy with industry, and Dayton’s bill takes that relationship to an expanded degree of warmth.

“It’s not like it is an easy environment now for passing rules to require more strict oversight of industry,” he said.

Email: amyjoi@deseretnews.com

Twitter: amyjoi16     http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865624038/Merger-of-environmental-boards-stokes-concerns.html?pg=all

March 14, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA