Matheson: Blending nuke waste could be recipe for unwanted “hotter” waste in Utah

Washington, D.C.—Congressman Jim Matheson is putting the federal agency that regulates radioactive waste on notice that Utah law prohibits storage of “hotter” waste, and a proposal to “blend” waste levels raises red flags.

Matheson’s concerns are contained in a letter to the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and it is signed by House members Bart Gordon, Chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee, and Ed Markey, Chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on Energy and the Environment.

Matheson’s letter references next week’s NRC staff meeting in Maryland on proposed rule changes to waste disposal for low-level radioactive waste facilities.  The site at Clive, Utah is only licensed to take Class A waste.

“We have legitimate concerns about allowing the mixing of Class B and C waste with Class A waste so that the resulting mixture is designated as Class A waste,” the letter states.  “The NRC staff has indicated a preference which we believe opens the door to large-scale downblending of waste and requires this waste to be reclassified as a ‘unique waste stream’, similar to the classification made for depleted uranium.”  Matheson is strongly opposed to this action.

Matheson’s letter says downblending may be a back-door means to store higher level radioactive waste in a state that has “specifically decided not to take hotter waste.”

Matheson asks the NRC to not move forward to allow blending until it satisfactorily answers seven questions, including if the public will lose confidence in the waste disposal licensing process when a Class A site is actually receiving Class B and C waste.

The letter concludes with the concern that choosing to implement downblending simply postpones the inevitable and necessary conversation about the looming shortage of disposal capacity facing the country.

Matheson said interested Utahns can watch the June 17, 2010 NRC meeting via the Web at the following link: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/webcast-live.html