NRC Extends Comment Period On Nuclear Waste Proposal

March 5, 2008, WASHINGTON – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is extending the deadline for public comments regarding EnergySolutions’ application to import 20,000 tons of foreign nuclear waste for processing and disposal in the United States, announced U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon.

The deadline has been extended three months to June 10.

Gordon, chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee and a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, says approval of the application could put the United States on a path to becoming the world’s nuclear dumping ground.

“I believe this would not be a one-time deal, but just the first in a series,” said Gordon. “This proposal would set a bad precedent by telling the world the U.S. is open to being a nuclear waste dumping ground. In reality, we have only a limited amount of space available for our own domestic waste.”

Those wishing to make comments to the NRC about the application can contact hearingdocket@nrc.gov or Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications. All correspondence should reference EnergySolutions Import License Application IW023.

“The NRC has received nearly 400 comments about this application,” said Gordon. “The response has been unprecedented. The NRC tells me they usually don’t get any comments on this type of application.”