Arizona Prods Wilson to Open Nuclear Dump

Alarmed that efforts to build a low-level nuclear waste dump in the Mojave Desert are faltering, Arizona Gov. Fife Symington has prodded Gov. Pete Wilson to act promptly to open the facility required by federal law or face possible legal action by Arizona.

In an unusually blunt Jan. 23 letter to Wilson obtained by The Times, Symington complained that the California Department of Health Services had yet to license the controversial 70-acre dump, even though the license application was filed two years ago.

“Arizona’s concern is that, despite the progress to date, the California low-level waste program appears to be faltering and that compliance with the federally mandated (operational) deadline of Jan. 1, 1993, is in jeopardy,” Symington wrote.

Under federal law, the low-level nuclear waste dump is supposed to be operational next January. The dump would serve California, Arizona, North Dakota and South Dakota, which formed the Southwestern Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact. California had agreed to provide a dump site first, with other states to follow.

The dump, to be built in the Mojave Desert’s Ward Valley, 24 miles west of Needles, has stirred heated opposition from local officials, environmentalists, entertainment figures and others.

Low-level radioactive waste comes from a variety of sources, including hospitals, research laboratories and nuclear power plants, but does not include the highly radioactive spent fuel rods from these plants.

Opponents of the proposal have cited the record of U.S. Ecology, the company that will operate the disposal facility, in other states where ground water has been contaminated by leaking low-level radioactive contaminants. Critics of the California proposal worry that the same thing could occur again. Backers argue that the desert site is so dry that there is virtually no chance that that could happen.

Symington also sought personal assurances from Wilson that he is working to open the facility and strongly suggested that Wilson should find a way to do so despite opposition from the independent California State Lands Commission--which has refused to accept title to the dump site on behalf of the state.

But in Sacramento, California Health and Welfare Agency spokeswoman Kassy Perry said it may be weeks or months before a policy review is completed by the agency and a recommendation is made to Wilson. There was no comment from Wilson’s office.

Meanwhile, U.S. Ecology has served notice that even if California licensed the dump immediately, it would still miss the federal deadline for opening the facility next January.

In his letter to Wilson, Symington said if generators of low-level radioactive waste in Arizona are forced to put their waste in costly interim storage, they may seek reimbursement for the added costs from California. He intimated that the state would support those claims.

But one Wilson Administration source said the dump is so controversial that the governor’s office has been hesitant to act hastily. “We don’t want this to become Pete Wilson’s dump,” said the source, who asked to remain anonymous.