NRC ruling leaves blended nuke waste study to UT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission says Utah can set its own rules for studying whether to accept shipments of blended radioactive waste for burial in the state.

The commission says that until it updates its blended waste regulations, the Utah Radiation Control Division is free to establish a process for engineering studies on a case-by-case basis.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports Friday that a state regulator and EnergySolutions, the company that wants to bury blended waste in Tooele County, welcomed the NRC ruling.

State Radiation Control Board chief Peter Jenkins calls the NRC decision “a good sign.”

The Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah has challenged the safety of blending. Blended waste mixes highly radioactive and less hazardous waste to reduce overall radioactivity.