PHOENIX - The Arizona Legislature is going on record as saying it wants the federal government to consider establishing a site in Arizona to store spent nuclear fuel.
The House approved a Senate-passed memorial Tuesday that says placing a permanent storage site for spent nuclear fuel in Arizona would create thousands of jobs both during construction and afterward.
The legislation sponsored by Republican Sen. Al Melvin of Tucson has no binding effect. Passage means the memorial will be sent to congressional officials.
Democratic Rep. Tom Chabin of Flagstaff says the legislation is a waste of time and irresponsible. He says most Arizonans don't want nuclear waste in their backyard.
Melvin has said the failure of the federal government to set up a planned high-level radioactive-waste dump at Yucca Mountain in Nevada creates an opportunity for Arizona.
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He said the technology to reprocess that fuel is already available to reduce the amount of waste that eventually will have to be buried in the state, and is in use in France. "The French company Areva has successfully managed a recycling complex (for used nuclear fuel) for more than 40 years," Melvin has noted.
And he said Arizona has many underground salt deposits that would make a perfect place for storage.
Melvin figures the state could charge $50,000 a ton for nuclear waste brought here. With 2,000 tons a year, Melvin said, that would generate $100 million a year.