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Show Je ———— ‘WASATCH COUNTY COURIER APRIL 18, 2001 - Southeast Utah Mill Wants ‘To _ Recycle Radioactive Sludge| has petitioned the sludge from the Molycorp regulations on the disposal and transportation of such wastes under provisions in federal law that give the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, not the state, © primacy in determining site in Mountain Pass, Calif. The company wants to extract small traces of ura- nium left over from five decades of bastnasite processing. ore Environmentalists say - the amount of uranium is so” -small —less than one-fifth of 1 percent—to justify ship- how the wastes are man- ‘Utah Division of Radiation Control. “If we contested -every one of them, we from the ore it extracts, but would be broke.” The state’s decision not | from the fees it gets for tak- to formally intervene has state regulation. Utah regulators eee those earlier NRC decisions, and they lost. This time, the regulators are not openly “We don’t know what’s in opposing the International that stuff,” said Ken Sleight, with the Glen Canyon Uranium proposal. “We have learned ee are times when it is appro- country, state officials say. International Uranium takes issue with that a officials say the lead in the acterization. Molycorp sludge of (federal reducing waste while recovering valuable resources,” she added. The company aaa Bie transportation of the waste on £15, across 1-70 and- tained that International Uranium is using the recy-_ cling provision in federal law to get around state regulation of waste disposal. The federal law says the wastes must be down U.S. 191 to Blanding recycled is safe. The trucks’ contents — -are all wrapped in heavy plastic that prevents leak-— - primarily for their mineral content—uranium in the priate to question amend- case of the materials bound bring ment requests,” said Bill Sinclair, director of the for the Blanding mill. But the market price for stuff in our “The intent ponds is Group, a newly formed chapter of the Sierra Club. that ing the tailings from cleanup sites around the prompted the Sierra Club to petition the NRC for a hear- | ing on the application. International Uranium not any different than the — _law) is to encourage conservation and recovery of The NRC me Oates : lead left behind by the comresources,” said Michelle Inter national Uranium’s pany’s routine uranium ore environmental Rehmann, . earlier requests to dispose _ processing, and that lead of mill tailings, claiming already fills its tailing piles. . manager for the Denvercompany. “We’re The state has long main- | based recycling is exempt from : a they can uranium is next . nothing, and International Uranium © is making its money not aged. ping the hazardous materi- “Tt is amazing . age. Or - contamination, Rehmann said.° Farm Bureau Says It’s Too Late to _ Pay Farmers Not to Irrigate| - SALT LAKE CITY (AP)— PacifiCorp’s offer to pay Utah farmers not to irrigate their fields as part of an energy-conservation effort comes too late, the Utah Farm Bureau said. © Representatives of PacifiCorp, the parent company of Utah Power, met ‘with Farm Bureau members Friday to lay out the utility’s offer to pay 10 cents a kilowatt hour to farmers who skip irrigating their fields. Even if irrigators wanted to take the olen, it’s several months too late, spokeswoman Jennifer Dahl said. Gas Watch 2001 ~ PRICES: FOR REGULAR oe _ UNLEADED ae 04/1 6/01 Watch this space for weekly updates. “Farmers have already invested in their crops this season,” Dahl said. She questioned how many farmers can ery Tooele, said Utah Power ae not pay him enough to skip irrigating his fields. _ benefit from Bees me cents a kilo- © “In my warelinr instance, they watt hour. could not make an offer economically The utility on March 16 ahead the high enough that we could accept it,” Hogan said. “We’ve got a certain Public Service Commission to approve its offer to the farmers. The PSC is . amount of expenses we've got to pay.” waiting for recommendations from the He and other farmers made planting state Division of Public Utilities and decisions in January and- changing the Committee of Consumer Services course now would be difficult, if not before ruling on the petition. impossible. - Leland Hogan, who grows alfalfa oon 500 acres near Stockton, south of IRRIGATE continued on A121 ’ Wasatch County . Trimart/Chevron 400 N. Main, Heber APRIL 9 $1.439 APRIL 16 $1.479 SEAS. 3. 215 N. Main, Heber Phillips 100 S. Main, Heber 11/Amoco . 750 S. Main Sto Hub/Sinclair — Trimart/Chevron Heber — : S. Main, Heber - ee Main Street Station Conoco Midway Not Open Summit cadaty”” Texaco © $1.409 Kimball Tek: PC. ~Amoco. 3080 W. Rasmussen, 1.459 $1.459 PC. Salt Lake County Premium Oil/ Chevron Flying J. spin ar S SiC 12300 S. Minuteman, SLC Refused | Utah County Walker/Phillips Center Trimart/Chevron 1601 W. Center, nets & State ae Lindon $1.399 : 1.429 © TMT TTT Corp. federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission to recycle the neighborhood get a public hearing.” International ‘Uranium has legally skirted state PMT SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—A uranium mill in southeastern Utah may -soon be accepting 17,750 tons of radioactive, leadcontaminated sludge. | International - Uranium |