Utah governor welcomes foreign nuke waste

SALT LAKE CITY, Wyo., Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said low-level nuclear waste from foreign countries can be disposed of in his state, as long as it meets regulations.

EnergySolutions has applied to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to import 20,000 tons of radioactive waste from Italy that would be processed in Tennessee and disposed of in a landfill in Utah's Tooele County, about 80 miles west of Salt Lake City, The Salt Lake Tribune said Thursday.

Huntsman spokeswoman Lisa Roskelly said the governor is concerned any waste coming into the state meets current laws and regulations,

U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., said he wants the NRC to reject the application unless EnergySolutions can prove the foreign shipments will be safe and not cause a shortage of space for U.S. low-level nuclear waste. Utah State Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, said it shouldn't matter whether the waste is from the United States or somewhere else. When the Tooele County site is filled, it's filled, he told the newspaper.