Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
4/2/2015
A South Carolina State House lawmaker introduced a bill last week that would re-affirm that the Barnwell disposal facility could only take waste from states within the Atlantic Compact. The bill, introduced by Rep. Chip Limehouse (R), comes in response to the EnergySolutions proposal last month that called for the facility to accept out-of-compact Class B and C waste, while encouraging in-compact Class A waste to go to the company’s Clive, Utah, facility. The bill would also require the state Department of Health and Environmental Control to submit a report on groundwater surrounding the site. “Effective July 1, 2015, the Barnwell site must not accept any radioactive waste from states outside of the Atlantic Compact,” the bill’s language said. “The Department of Health and Environmental Control shall monitor the waters surrounding the Barnwell site and shall submit a quality report to the General Assembly every other year, beginning in 2015.” The bill was then re-directed to the House Committee on Judiciary.
Since EnergySolutions’ plan first emerged last month, response from state lawmakers has generally opposed any changes to the site. Gov. Nikki Haley (R) voiced her opposition to the plan, calling the proposal “a huge step backwards for the state of South Carolina.” According to a local report, Limehouse tried to echo that sentiment in his bill. “I think South Carolina needs to double-down on our policy of out-of-state nuclear waste,” Limehouse told The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C. “We’re not going to be the dumping ground of the United States of America for low-level nuclear waste.”
The Barnwell facility closed to out-of-compact waste in 2008 following the formation of the Atlantic Compact in 2000. New Jersey, Connecticut, and South Carolina are the only states currently allowed to use the facility for disposal. Only Waste Control Specialists in Texas currently accepts Class B and C waste from states out-of-compact generators. Legislative approval would be needed for any changes to occur at the Barnwell site regarding out-of-compact waste. EnergySolutions declined to comment this week on the bill.
