In 1995, Idaho signed an agreement with the federal government
to try to bar the Department of Energy from shipping any more
nuclear waste to the state.
Twelve years later, Idaho lawmakers are throwing their support
behind a Bush administration proposal touted as a means to safely
expand nuclear energy in the United States, despite opposition
from a watchdog group that contends it would break the 1995
settlement.
The Bush administration proposal would reverse the country's
long-held policy banning the reuse of spent nuclear fuel, which
currently is stored at nuclear power plants around the country.
The strategy envisions that the United States and other nuclear
powers would sell reactors and fuel to developing countries to
improve their energy supplies, with the fuel returning for
reprocessing.
Proponents say the program will allow countries to increasingly
rely on nuclear energy while reducing the amount of waste
generated by nuclear power plants. At the same time, rogue nations
and terrorists could be denied access to plutonium for nuclear
weapons.
Critics have argued that resuming fuel preprocessing, which was
abandoned in the 1970s for proliferation reasons, could make it
even easier for enemy states to build weapons.
The initiative hasn't garnered much attention outside of energy
circles. Earlier this year, the Energy Department awarded more
than $10 million to 11 companies or economic development groups to
examine the potential for fuel recycling facilities in their
areas.
The include a proposal at Idaho National Laboratory and another
by a Utah company seeking to do business in Atomic City, just
outside the INL property.
The 1995 settlement agreement was born out of Idaho residents'
concerns their state would become a national nuclear waste dump,
and any proposal to bring spent fuel to Idaho violates that
agreement, said Jeremy Maxand, executive director of the Snake
River Alliance.
The Energy Department has challenged in court the validity of
some parts of 1995 agreement.
"We have a legacy of contamination at Idaho National Laboratory
that we still have to clean up," Maxand said.
Lou Riepl, INL's regional manager of communications and public
affairs, said the measure does not suggest that the settlement
agreement has to be set aside.
"This is a research initiative," he said, adding that to imply
anything else is inappropriate.
Idaho is competing with sites in seven other states seeking to
get a piece of any business the proposal could bring. So far,
state lawmakers have overwhelmingly supported the idea.
The state Senate approved a nonbinding measure encouraging the
federal government to pursue the initiative and pointing to Idaho
as the most suitable site for advanced nuclear research. A House
committee approved the measure Thursday, sending it to the full
House for a vote.
Rep. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, urged members of the House
Environment, Energy and Technology committee to proceed with
caution and delay a vote until state officials overseeing cleanup
at INL could voice comments.
"It would only be prudent to ask for more information," she
said.
But the committee chairman, Rep. Dell Raybould, R-Rexburg, said
more time wouldn't dissuade him that INL is the vehicle for the
United States to develop safe nuclear energy.
"I haven't seen any of my potato plants glowing in the dark,"
Raybould said. "Idaho needs to be supportive of the efforts of our
country and INL."
The measure doesn't require the governor's signature. Jon
Hanian, press secretary for Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, said the
governor and his staff will review the issue after the session and
closely study the proposals.
"But we plan to be very vigilant to any proposal that would
change the status quo policy as it relates to nuclear waste coming
into the state," Hanian said.
Already, two governors _ Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina
and Gov. Ernie Fletcher of Kentucky _ have submitted letters of
support for activities to come to their states.
The Energy Department has scheduled a public meeting on its
proposal March 15 in Idaho Falls.
