Activists in Utah held a rally at a local Italian restaurant to bring attention to EnergySolutions’ application to import 20,000 tons of radioactive waste from Italy to the U.S, which appears to be most of Italy’s “low” and intermediate level radioactive waste. The waste would come in through the ports of Charleston, SC and New Orleans, LA, be shipped to Tennessee for incineration, other "processing" and “recycling.” Some would be dumped in regular trash in Tennessee and some sent to Utah to be buried.

A major US nuclear waste company, EnergySolutions, with a near monopoly on commercial nuclear waste treatment and disposal in the US, proposes large scale importation nuclear waste from Italy for processing and disposal in the US. This import license application is open for public comment until March 12, 2008. On February 28, 2008. over 50 national, state and local groups and individuals  requested an extension of 90 days for public comment and requests to intervene and hold hearings. Submitted comments and the docket can be viewed on the NRC website www.nrc.gov and searching in the electronic library ADAMS under the docket # 11005711.

NIRS salutes the determined activists of South Carolina who have been waging a campaign to close the Barnwell "low-level" nuclear waste dump. A first step was accomplished in April when the South Carolina House committee on Agriculture and Environmental Affairs voted unanimously (with only 2 abstentions, including the bill sponsor) against a bill that would…