By Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) and Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT)
Sixteen years ago, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was warned that if it allowed nuclear waste to be imported into the United States, this country could turn into the world's nuclear dumping ground. That warning went unheeded, and now, if the Congress doesn't act, it could prove true.
In 1992, the Environmental Coalition on Nuclear Powers told the NRC that its proposed rule to license imports of low-level radioactive waste into the United States would allow "an essentially unrestricted flow . . . of radioactive wastes generated abroad into this country for 'disposal,' thereby turning our nation into an unlimited dumping ground for radioactive wastes produced worldwide."
The NRC chose not to tighten its rule or to ban the importation of waste. Instead, it assured the public that no one would ever try to dump foreign low-level waste here. And for more than 10 years, that was almost true. Small shipments were allowed in and sometimes disposed of in U.S. sites, but the licenses were infrequent.
But today, it is happening. EnergySolutions, the owner of a disposal site in Clive, Utah, has applied for a license to import 20,000 tons of low-level radioactive waste, or LLRW, from Italy's decommissioned nuclear reactors for processing in Tennessee and ultimate disposal in Utah. Italy, like many other countries, has no place to go with this radioactive waste. In fact, many European nuclear plants are slated to be decommissioned in the coming years. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
It isn't surprising that EnergySolutions sees a business opportunity, and it is difficult to imagine any country in the world that wouldn't be delighted to send its radioactive waste to the United States and be rid of it forever. There is a worldwide shortage of disposal space, and the company has publicly stated that it is looking for more decommissioning and disposal business around the world. In the prospectus issued when it went public last fall, EnergySolutions promoted the disposal site in Clive as one of its "competitive strengths."
We don't fault EnergySolutions for being creative and aggressive in its business plan. But when Congress passed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1980, it wasn't trying to solve the nuclear waste problems of the world; it wanted to make sure the United States has a place to dispose of its own nuclear waste.
Nothing has changed that goal. The NRC, however, seems to want to go in another direction. It seems to think that if there is a site willing to take the waste, we can't stop it. That is why we introduced our legislation to ban imports of LLRW into the United States unless the president determines that it is necessary to meet an important national or international policy goal.
EnergySolutions says it has enough room to take all U.S. waste for the next 19 years. But that projection was based on unusually low waste shipments and did not include any foreign waste. And, according to the Government Accountability Office, the U.S. doesn't even know how much LLRW it has. If more nuclear plants are licensed, the equation will also change.
Low-level radioactive waste may not sound dangerous, but all nuclear waste disposal sites must be monitored for hundreds of years to protect the public's health. We have our hands full right here at home. We don't need to take on that responsibility for anyone else.
