File: Utah State Capitol
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Environmentalists are urging Utah Gov. Gary Herbert to veto legislation that could open the way for a nuclear waste services company to store depleted uranium in the state.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports the measure that has cleared the state Legislature specifies for the radioactivity of waste to be classified at the time of acceptance, so depleted uranium would fall under the least-hazardous Class A category.
The state bans waste falling under the more hazardous categories.
Jessica Reimer, a policy associate with HEAL Utah, says depleted uranium grows in radioactivity over time, eventually exceeding all class standards.
Paul Edwards, the Republican governor’s deputy chief of staff, says the administration will scrutinize the bill, but the “governor believes that his major concerns have been addressed.”