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Re: Thoughts on Wasted Monies

Mr. McCormick asks "... what companies...Consultants."
Allow me to answer on the part of one company who will be unnamed, This company
has invested almost $90 million of its own in performance of a contract for
which it has not been paid. I know of no developer who proceeded against the3
objections of a compact attempting to perform in accordance with a federal act
that has proven to be totally economically imprudent.

Picking up a thread from last week regarding radioactive waste dumps:

In my 30 plus years in the commercial radwaste sector, I have observed a greater
that six fold increase in the overall disposal rates at Barnwell. At the same
time the Richland site, limited to accepting wastes from the NW Compact, has
been treated essentially as a public utility in that their rates are regulated
to limit profits. The Richland rates are a fraction of those at Barnwell, yet
the Compact and the state of Washington deny the rest of the country access to
Richland.

The availability of Envirocare, particularly following the issue of their new
license, is a welcome and significant factor in the fiscal survival of many
generators, particularly in the commercial power sector.Many utilities I talk to
express their desire, in the form of processing instructions, to maximize
efforts to process and package materials to to meet the E'care WAC. Some
instruct processors to package and return materials non-conforming to the WAC.
This is understandable since the rates nat E'care are one fourth of those at
Barnwell. Before Barnwell surcharges. One processor has enjoyed continually
decreasing charges from E'care based on pledged volumes. Many utilities
undergoing D&D have enjoyed the same? Has Barnwell ever done the same?

The current Barnwell Initiative is humorous when one looks at it. Generators are
required to commit to life of plant waste volumes, and advance significant
payments to buy continued access. This with the absence of a clear committment
that the site will remain available. This in the advent of deregulation, driving
utilities to engage in painful downsizing and other drastic cost cutting
measures.

Compact sites in California, Texas and Nebraska are essentially dead or drowning
in political mire, under various disguises The current administration is
establishing roadblocks against the technically acceptable Ward Valley site,
while endorsing what may well be a technically flawed site (if tha alleged
geotechnical concerns regarding Texas are valid)

I wish to pose an idea for consideration:

The NW Compact and the state of Washington have unfairly prohibited Richland
from the import of wastes, while authorizing Envirocare to accept wastes
nationwide.It is generally known that the rates at E'care for wastes meeting
their criteria are less than those at Richland. What if the NW Compact could be
enjoined to authorize Richland to accept Class A wastes not meeting E'care
criteria, and Class B & C wastes from U. S.  generators.without geographical
restrictions?

This will not result in any negative impact on E'care (a private concern that
took the courageous and risky step to establish an alternative to Barnwell) This
would allow generators an economic alternative to Barnwell for wastes not
meeting E'care's WAC.

Then, who needs Barnwell.



John McCormick wrote:

> Radwasters and Radsafers
>
> The Radioactive Waste generators in this country have spent over 500 million
> dollars on developing new burial sites, with little or no hope of these
> sites ever opening.  What companies or individuals have benefited from the
> attempted development of the sites?  Chem-Nuclear? US Ecology? Consultants?
>
> Is there an incentive on the part of the developers to establish the sites?
> Are they content with being paid each week or do they truly want to develop
> a site?  If there is not enough waste to fund one burial site now, why do we
> continue to spend money on other burial sites?
>
> Barnwell Plan
>
> Chem-Nuclear plan ensures them that they will be paid their operating costs
> for the next 25 years.  The State of South Carolina will receive millions
> for their school systems for the next 25 years.  We the generators are
> guaranteed that for the next 25 year's, or the remainder of our money back,
> that Barnwell will receive our wastes.
>
> How many people out there have signed up for this plan?  Chem-Nuclear says
> they have enough for the plan to go through, but from their actions and
> clients comments we are unsure.
>
> Please E-mail me directly.
>
> J_McCormick_Bionomics@msn.com
>
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information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html