Under the radar: Canada's, Mexico's radioactive waste comes into Utah

[DogPoundPup]

Source: Salt Lake Tribune

Federal regulators gave their blessing to low-level radioactive waste from Canada and Mexico that is now buried in Utah.
But Utah never got the memo. Nor did the regional radioactive waste oversight organization Utah belongs to.
That foreign waste could be imported into Utah without the knowledge of state and regional officials might seem hard to believe in such a highly regulated business as radioactive waste. But federal regulators saw no reason to keep Utah in the loop on such small shipments.
Dane Finerfrock, director of Utah's Radiation Control Division, checked his files Monday and found no letters giving a heads-up about the imports, despite the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Waste import

Commission's stated policy of keeping "those affected" in the loop. There is no listing for such letters to Utah and the Northwest Interstate Compact on Low-level Radioactive Waste on the NRC's online information service.
"Obviously, the governor says it's not alright" for foreign waste to be disposed of in Utah, Finerfrock said. "The only way we can know is if we are notified, so obviously it's not alright."
Steve Dembek, an import-license officer for the NRC, said the agency does not notify Utah and the compact when the residual waste is "not significant."
"If we know there is a significant amount of material, we do them," he said.

What amount of waste is considered insignificant? "We don't have an exact number for that," he said.

Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10833088

[MikeNearMcChord]

1. Hey Utah don't you love those Republicans who are

so generous that they willing to take everybody's nuke waste and dump it in your beautiful state.

[Hydra]

5. Yeah, and since the reds here are morons(And have a slight numerical advantage)

They don't see a problem with it. The grand irony is that the Republican Governor is actually a good guy and opposes this.

This is total Bushco modus operandi- if it's a problem, they just don't tell you about it and do it anyway.

[RainDog]

2. Is this going to the Four Corners?

Are they trying to dump this on Hopi sacred land?

Fuck all of you, the govts of Mex., Canada and the U.S. for this.

But hey, now that the republicans have worked to reduce us to 3rd world status, we'll get to have other fun things like this... we can become the garbage dump of the world! see, that'll create jobs... and imports!

[Beregond2]

3. Well, if it has to go somewhere...

[JE797]

4. Yea, and their stupid gov. wants the crap!