Canyon Country Zephyr | 1999-06-01 | Page 11

running the stuff through its mill, but yet make millions upon millions just for accepting the stuff. The State rightly calls it "sham disposal." Dianne Nielson, the executive director of the Utah State Department of Environmental Quality, stated that a policy decision which shifts "reprocessing" to "waste disposal in disguise" will trigger several issues-—-including the need for a state sighting approval, a need for a license for waste disposal of these materials, the payment of appropriate waste disposal fees to the state, and the need for a state groundwater discharge permit.” Properly licensed? Good neighbor? (Hell, the company refuses outright to get a state groundwater permit.) : Envirocare in northern Utah has been receiving alternate feed materials for some time, but is fully licensed to receive the product and receives extensive oversight review. This same licensing and exacting oversight review has not yet been accomplished for the White Mesa mill. The revenue for accepting the waste for disposal or storage by the company has been estimated by some reviewers as upward to $9.90 per ton of material. This equates to millions upon millions of dollars that go directly to International Uranium. Figure it out. The company comes out the winner, the county the loser. None of this revenue seemingly goes to the county even though it absorbs most of the future costs of the impacts. And that radioactive stuff will sit there through the centuries, a thorn in our side, long after And while here, be sure to visit Monticello and Blanding. They have always been rival towns. Monticello has the temple. Blanding has the famous hazardous waste dump. It is apparent by now that International Uranium Corporation’s aspirations is to corral all the waste from as many sources as possible, with the least amount of regulatory oversight. It is evident that White Mesa mill could become one of the West's largest nuclear waste dump sites with damaging radiated material coming from all over the world. And each dumping would add even more higher radiation risk to all of us. We need to step back now and look at the situation under a new light. We need a moratorium on any further waste acceptance. There needs to be intensive discussion and study among all interested citizens and stakeholders before further licensing actions. At this immediate time, the NRC should review the issuance of this license amendment and prohibit International Uranium Corporation from receiving any of the St. Louis waste material at White Mesa. Past decisions need to be reviewed. If it is shown that proper procedures were not followed, then the material already received at White Mesa should immediately be shipped to another site--a site that is appropriately licensed. The Navajo Utah Commission asks, “Having vigorously opposed the Cotter Concentrates in 1997, witnessing the importation of the Tonowanda shipments and learning of current on-going negotiation with Port Hope, Ontario to receive radioactive sledges from Canada, Navajos ask: when does this stop?" The Dump is now with us. In spite of the victory yells of its proponents, it is a sad time for our communities and for those citizens and future generations it will harm. Let us now try to limit its ever-growing size, remembering that each load of stuff brings that much more dangerous radiation to us. God knows that we've plenty of that. Oooo International Uranium has folded its wings. : There ought to be a law. This the State of Utah now attempts to do in its own over-due rulemaking. A State-proposed rule regarding "alternate feeds" was recently introduced by the Utah Radiation Control Board. In the new rule, the State defines “alternate feed materials" as "material other than natural ores which are processed through a uranium mill to recover source material alone or together with other recoverable materials." It also rules that "A uranium mill which processes alternate feed materials to recover source material alone or together with other recoverable materials is considered to be a commercial radioactive waste disposal facility if the materials processed do not have an average uranium and/or thorium content of equal to or greater than .05% by weight." The mill would have to demonstrate that, if the uranium and/or thorium content was less than .05% by weight, it would have to prove that the products could be economically recovered. And further, the uranium mill would either submit a license application and receive a license for disposal as a commercial radioactive waste disposal facility (such as Envirocare) or request approval from the Executive Secretary as provided in the rules. It is my feeling that the rule is still too lax and should be even more restrictive. But its a step in the right direction. The health effects and other environmental concerns have not yet been fully addressed. We must deal with the widespread man-made nuclear contamination as well as the area’s high natural radiation. This entails studying the health risks to all of us who share its air and watersheds. The Navajo Utah Commission asks, "What studies have been conducted to collect baseline health data regarding the impact of White Mesa Mill operations on area residents... If the waste proves unhealthy or detrimental, who is responsible for the cost? Who is liable, TUC, NRC, the tribes, or San Juan County?” Who pays for cancer treatments? Good questions indeed. A number of people in Southeast Utah believe there is an excess number of cancers among its citizens. Epidemiology studies are in order. The U.S. Public Health Service and the State of Utah must become involved to determine where and how people have already received the greatest exposure to contamination. How many people were exposed? At what ages? And what kinds of food, drinking water, time spent outdoors, or occupations placed them a greater risk? Did certain groups - such as tribes, mill workers, miners, and farm workers receive higher doses? Environmental studies have been woefully inadequate from the very inception of the White Mesa mill. An inadequate and incomplete EIS was initially prepared but ongoing environmental reviews are lacking. A new EIS needs to be completed. GRAND SIZ 702 South Main Street [phone] =f TIRE &. MAIN ya PY WE'RE THE LITTLE GUYS... 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