Utah Takes Nuclear Waste From States With Own Dump

No other compact prohibits waste from coming to Utah, and state lawmakers haven't placed any limits on where it can come from.

"The in-region generators are free to ship their waste to Timbuktu if they want. They have no restrictions," said Max Batavia, executive director of the Atlantic Compact.

Batavia said nuclear power plants, hospitals and universities send their waste 2,000 miles to Utah because it's less expensive than using the South Carolina facility, where rates are set by state officials and the site is managed by EnergySolutions subsidiary Chem-Nuclear at a set 29 percent profit margin.

With no rules prohibiting the exportation of waste out of the compact, it's possible South Carolina, New Jersey and Connecticut could also soon begin shipping their Class B and C waste elsewhere.

Dallas-based Waste Control Specialists LLC has told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission it wants to accept waste at its western Texas facility from outside its compact. It is unclear when a newly formed commission will decide if waste from outside the compact will be allowed.

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