The new bill, which is being introduced by Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., would generally ban all waste generated in foreign countries from being imported to the United States. EnergySolutions spokesman John Ward said the new bill is somewhat similar to a bill that was proposed in the House of Representatives in March by Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, as well as fellow House Energy and Commerce Committee members Reps. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., and Ed Whitfield, R-Ky.
“Matheson’s bill was introduced in March and had its subcommittee hearing in May, but there was no action taken on it,” Ward said. “Right now it’s just a bill that’s been filed with several other bills, and it’s not actively moving along at the moment.”
Ward doesn’t think this new bill will even reach the floor of the senate.
“I think the chances of it passing are slim, just because of everything Congress is dealing with right now,” he said. “They’re dealing with issues like energy policies, $4-a-gallon gasoline, health care, and budgets that need to be approved, so the issue of whether or not to overturn the NRC’s (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) regulatory authority on this is a bit of a stretch. There are more important things Congress has to worry about, and I see no sign that this bill or the one introduced by Matheson will make it to the floor.”
However, Jessica Kendrick, field organizer for HEAL Utah (Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah), said she fully supports the new bill and sees it passing because of its connection to Matheson’s previously introduced bill.
“This Senate bill is identical to the one introduced by Rep. Matheson, and having two parallel bills — both a House bill and Senate bill — increases the chances of this one passing,” Kendrick said. “It also legitimizes the bill and helps it garner more support from the public.”
EnergySolutions applied last fall for a license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to import 20,000 tons of Class-A waste from Italy. The majority of the waste would be processed at the company’s processing facility in Bear Creek, Tenn., with up to 6,000 tons of it being disposed at the Clive facility.
More than 2,000 Utah citizens have objected to the NRC about the import license.
Ward said the Italian waste project would take place over a five-year period, and that EnergySolutions’ license application for the project is still pending with the NRC. However, he is confident the application will be approved.
“The NRC has a number of health and safety concerns they need to oversee for issuing permits, and if they follow those guidelines, we’re confident that they’ll approve us,” Ward said.
Ward said the Italian waste project is necessary in an age of globalization.
“If the concern of the people is that they want to do the best thing for the environment, this bill is the wrong direction to go,” he said. “We live in an interconnected world, and we’re doing what we feel is the best practice for dealing with important issues for the planet. We also feel that by doing this project it will further the work we’re doing all over Europe, and get people interested in building facilities similar to the one in Clive over there.”
dougrad@tooeletranscript.com
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