In the October issue of “The Silver Scribe”, a story was printed on the possibility of Utah receiving 15,000 drums of depleted uranium, which is a hazardous waste that gets worse over time. On Dec. 15, Governor Gary Herbert wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Energy requesting that they halt the shipments of the 15,000 drums of depleted uranium until they have been tested. As of Feb. 11, only 33 of the 15,000 drums have been tested.
EnergySolutions, the toxic waste disposal and storage corporation, is allowed to accept class A radioactive waste, which loses the majority of its radioactivity within 100 years, according to Eric Spreng, Outreach Director at Healthy Environment Alliance (HEAL) of Utah.
“Any waste that isn’t specifically classified by the national Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), however, automatically falls into the class A category,” Spreng said. “The NRC erred by not specifically addressing depleted uranium, and by default it ended up as class A despite the increasing hazard level.”
In the letter that Governor Herbert wrote, it states that “it is only prudent that there be further study to determine how this waste is best stored before we accept it into the state of Utah.”
For more information on depleted uranium, or to sign a petition to demand action from state regulators, go to the HEAL Utah website (www.healutah.org). To voice an opinion, write a letter to your local representative or legislator.
For expert information, contact Eric Spreng, Outreach Director at HEAL Utah, at eric@healutah.org or at (801) 355-5055.