EnergySolutions Agrees to Drop Plans for "Tower of Waste" in Tooele

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) EnergySolutions has agreed to withdraw its application for permission to pile low-level waste higher at its Tooele County dump site. Governor Jon Huntsman Junior says the agreement is the latest of his efforts to keep Utah from becoming a nuclear dumping ground:

"This tower of radioactive waste is not created by Utahns, and not wanted by Utahns," says Huntsman.

Huntsman says the agreement he signed today with EnergySolutions CEO Steve Creamer will result in a net reduction of nearly 117 million cubic feet of low-level waste coming to Utah. Huntsman had planned to send a letter to the regional nuclear regulating body asking it to limit the amount of waste coming to Utah. He says EnergySolutions' promise to withdraw its pending application makes that letter unnecessary for now. But Huntsman adds he'll keep the letter in his pocket in case EnergySolutions applies for waste capacity beyond its currently approved license.

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