05/08/08

BOISE, Idaho (AP) _ Representatives from eight Western states
are discussing a Utah company's plan to import 20,000 tons of
Italian radioactive waste.

EnergySolutions Inc. wants to store a portion of the waste at
its private site in the Utah desert, but environmental groups say
it's a bad idea.

Utah's governor, Jon Huntsman, says he'll use the Northwest
Interstate Compact on Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management to
keep Utah from becoming a place for the world's nuclear waste.

Utah's representative is expected to exercise the state's veto
power during a meeting Thursday in Boise, Idaho. Meanwhile,
EnergySolutions has filed a lawsuit, saying the compact doesn't
apply.

Any action by the group could influence the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, which is reviewing EnergySolutions' pending
import license.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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