Texas Company: We Want Nation's Radioactive Waste

The NRC is considering allowing Class B and C waste to be diluted so it could be labeled Class A waste and disposed of at the Utah facility, which is owned by EnergySolutions Inc. and is about 70 miles west of Salt Lake City. Waste Control Specialists, which is licensed to accept Class A, B and C waste, objects to that proposal.

Waste Control Specialists is a subsidiary of Delaware-based Valhi Inc. Valhi's primary stockholder, Harold Simmons, is a top donor to Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Fears that Waste Control Specialists would eventually dump in waste from outside its compact in Texas have already led a Democratic lawmaker from Fort Worth to sponsor a bill requiring legislative approval to import out-of-compact waste. Texas Rep. Lon Burnam said he doesn't want Texas to become the nation's dumping ground.

"If you look at every nuclear power plant proposal that's out there, everybody seems to be assuming that they can send their waste to Texas because Texas is not going to protect itself," Burnam said.

"I think they're trying to undermine the intent of the national compacts. They want to fill it up as fast as they can, make as much money as they can and then walk away from it."