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Written by Mike Ewall
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Friday, 06 April 2007 |
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Since passage of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980, there were plans to build around 13 new "low-level" nuclear waste dumps in the U.S. -- one in each groups of states that formed into compacts." Of the nation's six "low-level" nuke dumps (most of which is for waste from nuclear reactors, even though they pretend it's mostly for medical waste), all of them have leaked and three were still open at the time (the ones in SC, NV and WA).
To relieve these states, they were to be allowed to discontinue taking waste by 1986, but as grassroots efforts stop every new nuke dump proposal planned under the compact system, the deadlines for closing Barnwell, South Carolina's dump kept slipping back, with the help of their state legislature (and pressure from the nuclear utilities).
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Written by Mary Kelly
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Wednesday, 21 March 2007 |
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The news that Duratek, the operator of the
Chem Nuclear low level radioactive waste site in Barnwell County
has been sold to Energy Solutions Inc., headquartered in Utah, once
again raises the periodic issue of site closure. Will the site, now
host site for the Atlantic Compact, really shut out all states
except compact members Connecticut and New Jersey on the designated
date of 2008 or will forces in favor of staying open prevail as
they have at least three times in the past? This is an issue the
members of the next General Assembly and the next Governor will
have to face.
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Written by Harriet Keyserling
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Tuesday, 20 March 2007 |
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Here we go again. After thirty years of
winning, then losing, than winning legislative battles to stop burying
the nationıs low -level nuclear wastes in Barnwell, South Carolina,
another battle looms. As with so many issues with huge economic stakes
, this just wonıt die. Legislators and governors move on, but the
industry and its high-powered lobbyists (this year there are TEN
)never go away.
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Read more...
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 19 March 2007 |
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Explanation |
| 1 |
Penny possible increase in consumers' bills if the utilities are charged higher disposal costs to make up the company's claimed shortfall after 2009. If Barnwell is important to SC utilities, they can assume the slight financial burden and stick to the Compact compromise. |
| 1.2 |
Million cubic feet of remaining capacity remains at the site, which is not adequate for the 800,000cf guaranteed for future use by Connecticut and New Jersey plus the 1 million estimated for South Carolina's own use. |
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Number of low level nuclear waste disposal sites owend by Energy Solutions: Barnwell accepts A, B & C waste, while Utah allows only the lowest level A waste. |
| 3 |
Total number of low level nuclear waste sites in the US. Hanford site in Washington is the third and accepts only A, B & C waste from 11 Northwest states. |
| 3rd |
Time that SC has considered backing off its plan to limit waste to fewer states: 1st is 1992, 2nd in 1995, when SC pulled out of the Southeastern Compact, and now. |
| 5 |
Feet separation required by DHEC between the bottom of Barnwell's disposal trenches and the historical water table. In 1993/94 and 1998, the water table has risen to the bottom of closed disposal trenches. |
| 12 |
Number of nuclear power plants in the Atlantic Compact states of SC, NJ and Conn. $300,000 additonal payment per plant represents no more than .3% of each plant's operating cost and could finance the company's claimed shortfall. |
| 12 |
Million dollars ($12,000,000) was paid by NJ and Conn to the Compact for an economic development fund for Barnwell County. $10.5 million of this "pay-off" has already been accepted by the County. |
| 12+ |
Million dollars was paid from Barnwell revenues to the Education Endowment Fund last year, of which roughly $8 million went to K-12, a mere blip of the billions appropriated for K-12 education. |
| 27 |
Million cubic feet of nuclear waste buried at Barnwell of the 30 million authorized, which leaves 3 million cf to assure space for SC's nuclear industy in the future. |
| 29 |
Percent profit on allowable costs (determined by the PSC) that SC guarantees the operator of the Barnwell site. |
| 51 |
Employees currently employed at the disposal site. As volumes are reduced after 2008, employees may be reduced to 25, but the company now admits that its claimed shortfall can be reduced by $1.37 million by then paying many employee salaries from the $90 million Barnwell Extended Care Fund. |
| 95 |
Percent of the total waste at Barnwell from out-of state. 99% of the nation's B&C waste is buried in SC, practically on the banks of the Savannah River. |
| 98 |
Percent of the nation's commercial Low Level Waste curies were buried at Barnwell in 2006. |
| 100 |
Acres currently owed by the state for the Barnwell site. If the Energy Solutions does not want to contiue opeations, the state can contract with a new operator. |
| 400 |
Percent increase of waste volume proposed by H3545 (from 10,000 cf projection after 2008 to 40,000 for 15 years). The current law ensures that the site will be open for at least 50 more years to enable parts from SC's decommissioned plants to be buried responsibly. |
| 8,000 |
Cubic feet of out-of-compact waste advocated by Studsvic lobbyists as more "moderate" approach. In reality, this restricted quantity favors Studvic's processing faciliy in Tennessee which could reduce the volume of the nation's 40,000 cf of waste generated annually by 5 times. Radioactivity is not reduced, however, meaning that 8,000 cf would be equally as hazardous as 40,000 cf. |
| 13,000 |
Cubic yards of tritium contaminated soil were removed and replaced by Chem Nulcear in 1999 from the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church adjacent to the site. |
| SC had done its fair share for 36 years. It's time to finally stick to the current law. |
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