[NukeNet] "Low-Level" Nuke Dump Fights May Return; South Carolina Limits Dumping

[Mike Ewall]

Many of us were active in the 1990s fighting off proposals for new 
nuclear waste dumps.  I was personally involved in helping stop the 
one planned for Pennsylvania.  Those fights may come back, now that 
South Carolina is getting serious about no longer being the dumping 
ground for most of the country's "low-level" nuclear waste.

Since passage of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980, 
there were plans to build around 13 new "low-level" nuclear waste 
dumps in the U.S. -- one in each groups of states that formed into 
"compacts."  Of the nation's six "low-level" nuke dumps (most of 
which is for waste from nuclear reactors, even though they pretend 
it's mostly for medical waste), all of them have leaked and three 
were still open at the time (the ones in SC, NV and WA).  To relieve 
these states, they were to be allowed to discontinue taking waste by 
1986, but as grassroots efforts stop every new nuke dump proposal 
planned under the compact system, the deadlines for closing Barnwell, 
South Carolina's dump kept slipping back, with the help of their 
state legislature (and pressure from the nuclear utilities).

South Carolina was supposed to be part of a compact that included 
North Carolina, where North Carolina (the state creating the most 
nuclear waste) was to host the first new dump.  However, when 
activists stopped that proposed dump, South Carolina pulled out of 
the southeast compact and for many years has been continuing to take 
waste from all states but those in the western U.S. (which send their 
waste to the dump in Washington).

In 2000, South Carolina joined the "Atlantic Compact" which was just 
New Jersey and Connecticut.  NJ and CT both had tried building their 
own dumps, but activists stopped these in the 1990s as well.  On 
March 28th (anniversary of the Three Mile Island meltdown), a 
committee of the South Carolina state legislature defeated with a 
0-16-2 vote a bill that would have extended the deadline (from 2008 
to 2023) for when the Barnwell, SC dump will start taking waste ONLY 
from their compact.  Unless the nuclear utilities manage to change 
the minds of the South Carolina legislature, they nuclear industry in 
most of the country will need to find other places to dump their 
"low-level" nuclear waste (which is basically all waste from nuclear 
reactors except for the fuel rods themselves, which are legally 
defined as high-level).  For a rather old article I did on the 
loopholes involved in what "low-level" means, see: 
http://www.energyjustice.net/nuclear/loophole.html

I encourage all on this list to pay attention to any indication in 
your states to revive siting programs for "low-level" nuclear waste 
dumps.  Please post any updates to this list.

If Barnwell is REALLY going to finally close their doors to all but 
SC, NJ and CT, the waste will have to flow somewhere, and we need to 
figure out where that will be, so we can stop these as well (and by 
giving them no place to dump, help ensure that they stop making the 
waste in the first place).

A map of the compacts can be found here:
http://www.nrc.gov/waste/llw-disposal/compacts.html
Legally, a state is required to develop a nuclear waste dump site if 
they aren't in a compact or -- if they are -- if they're the state 
with the largest nuclear waste generation within their compact.

[Note: EnergySolutions of Utah (www.energysolutions.com) is the new 
operator of the Barnwell nuke dump, which used to be run by 
Chem-Nuclear Systems, Inc. -- which was a subsidiary of Chemical 
Waste Management, which was a division of Waste Management, Inc. -- 
the world's largest waste corporation.  EnergySolutions is also now 
the operator of the "not-quite-low-level" dump in Clive, Utah which 
used to be run by a company called EnviroCare.  The Utah dump is an 
unlined dump on the salt flats which takes high-volume, low-activity 
nuclear waste (a subset of "low-level" nuclear waste) from around the 
nation.  The websites for these dumps can be found through here: 
http://www.energysolutions.com/Disposal/disposal.php]

Anyway, this is a long intro for the article below.  Read on...

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http://www.thestate.com/426/story/21132.html

Posted on Thu, Mar. 29, 2007

Legislators slam door to nuclear waste site

Panel's 16-0 vote effectively kills bill to keep Barnwell landfill open longer

By SAMMY FRETWELL - sfretwell at thestate.com

A Utah company's push to dump more nuclear waste in Barnwell County 
suffered a crippling defeat Wednesday that some legislators called 
historic in its message to the nation:

South Carolina wants out of the nuclear waste disposal business after 
three decades of owning a landfill for the country's radioactive garbage.

Wednesday's surprising 16-0 House committee vote effectively kills 
legislation to keep the landfill open to the country after 2008, 
although the landfill's operator could try other legislative means to 
accomplish its goal.

Energy Solutions of Utah, a rapidly expanding nuclear services 
company, could get help from lawmakers who could attach an amendment 
to another bill.

The company, which has hired 10 lobbyists through its Barnwell 
division, is expected to push similar legislation next year.

But lawmakers who voted against the landfill said the nation needs to 
find another place to bury low-level nuclear waste. The overwhelming 
vote by the House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental 
Affairs Committee underscores that belief, some said.

South Carolina has been taken for granted as a disposal site by other 
states, said Rep. David Umphlett, R-Berkeley.

The bill allowed power plants across the nation to continue using the 
site through 2023, instead of reserving the landfill for only South 
Carolina, New Jersey and Connecticut after next year.

"These other states in the United States need to get up off of their 
backsides and start doing what's right," said Umphlett, who initially 
supported keeping the site open. "They want to stomp us in the ground 
and beat us up and say 'You bunch of country hicks.'

"I'm just getting tired of it."

The landfill is used as a disposal site mostly by nuclear power 
plants for low-level radioactive waste. Since 1971, it has taken 
about 28 million cubic feet of waste. Its closure would mean plants 
in most states would have to store some of their most potent nuclear 
waste on site. Past attempts in the Legislature to shutter the site 
have failed after intense lobbying by the landfill's operator and utilities.

Energy Solutions, which last month took lawmakers on a bus tour of 
the landfill, issued a statement saying the legislation helped the 
state and county economies.

"We are of course disappointed with today's committee vote on what 
Energy Solutions, the utilities, Barnwell County and others consider 
a sensible and needed piece of legislation," the statement 
said.Wednesday's vote shocked people familiar with the 18-member 
House agriculture committee.

The panel, which hears most environmental bills, in recent years has 
been sympathetic to industries that sought law changes. But the 
Conservation Voters of South Carolina, an umbrella group for 
environmental organizations, intensely lobbied to close the dump to the nation.

For many legislators, the decision hinged on South Carolina's 
obligations. Under a 2000 law, the Palmetto State agreed to reserve 
landfill space after 2008 for only New Jersey, Connecticut and South 
Carolina companies that generate nuclear waste.

Keeping the site open to everyone after 2008 could take up much of 
that space and create legal problems, many legislators said.

"We've set the rules. The game is over,'' said Rep. Kenneth Hodges, 
D-Colleton. "The clock has expired."

The landfill has little more than 1 million cubic feet of space left; 
800,000 has been committed to New Jersey and Connecticut and much of 
the rest to South Carolina. That's particularly precious space if 
South Carolina utilities add new nuclear power plants that would 
create more waste, some lawmakers said.

Rep. W.D. "Bill" Witherspoon, who sponsored the bill, abstained from 
voting. Another member was absent. Witherspoon , said the space 
question sank the bill.The dump opened as a disposal site for lightly 
contaminated radioactive material, such as hospital gloves and gowns. 
Today, it's the only commercial landfill in the U.S. that takes the 
most potent forms of low-level nuclear waste, such as old reactor parts.

If the landfill remains open to every state after 2008, the state 
"could be home to some 30 dead decommissioned nuclear reactors,'' the 
Sierra Club's Susan Corbett said of power plants that will close.

Barnwell County's landfill has had two spills or leaks of tritium, 
records show. Environmental groups say the site is a long-term threat 
to Lowcountry drinking water. State officials say the site doesn't 
pose a health threat.

Barnwell-area leaders were disappointed and angry about Wednesday's 
vote. The landfill contributes more than $2 million a year to the 
county for schools and government services ­ and many local residents 
said they want the facility to remain open.

"This is an embarrassment," Barnwell-area industrial recruiter Danny 
Black heatedly told Witherspoon.

Black said the landfill has been unfairly characterized as a dump and 
Barnwell County must pay the price. The county has had difficulty 
recruiting industry because of what he called the negative image 
portrayed by the media and landfill opponents.

"How do you expect us to have industrial recruitment down there when 
we get this kind of negative response from our elected leaders and 
people that are supposed to be covering it in a not biased way?" 
Black told Witherspoon.

Witherspoon and Rep. Lonnie Hosey, a Barnwell Democrat who is not a 
member of the committee, said South Carolina must now consider how it 
will replace money lost from the landfill. Fees and other money from 
the dump contribute about $12 million to the state and county. .

Environmentalists who worked to defeat the bill said the economic 
argument is poor. South Carolina has ample revenue growth and can 
make up for any lost money from the landfill, said Cary Chamblee, a 
lobbyist for the S.C. Sierra Club and the S.C. Wildlife Federation.

"It could be made up very easily. It is a drop in the bucket.''

Reach Fretwell at (803) 771-8537.

INSIDE BARNWELL

Barnwell County's low-level nuclear waste dump will close to the 
nation as scheduled in 2008, a House committee agreed Wednesday.

WHY KEEP IT OPEN?

Generates $12 million annually for the state and Barnwell County 
through site revenues

WHY CLOSE IT?

Site has leaked tritium and has taken the nation's low-level nuclear 
waste for three decades


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Mike Ewall
Energy Justice Network
215-743-4884
catalyst at actionpa.org
http://www.energyjustice.net