Landfill may provide scholarshipsPublished in the Augusta Chronicle -- Augusta, Georgia
Web posted Oct. 17 at 12:29 AM
Associated Press COLUMBIA -- Proceeds from the sale of space at the state-owned Barnwell low-level nuclear landfill could be used to help pay for college scholarships, Chem-Nuclear Systems Inc. said.South Carolina could cash in when utility companies need to get rid of old nuclear reactors, the company says. Chem-Nuclear eventually could offer the state a $1 billion scholarship trust fund, Vice President David Ebenhack told The Greenville News for a story Thursday.
``It could be that much. We are looking at ways to stabilize our business and therefore stabilize the scholarship revenue,'' Mr. Ebenhack said.
Gov. David Beasley is interested in making more scholarship money available, but Chem-Nuclear's proposal is not under active consideration, spokesman Gary Karr said.
``The perception is that tuition in South Carolina is too high,'' Mr. Karr said. ``There are a number of proposals on the table at this point.''
House Democratic Leader Jim Hodges, a gubernatorial candidate who supports a state-run lottery to fund scholarships, said Chem-Nuclear's main motive is to bolster its Barnwell business because revenues have fallen off since disposal fees rose sharply.
``We don't need to take nuclear waste from across the nation to pay for scholarships for our kids. There are clean ways to do it that don't require us to be the burial ground for the nation's nuclear waste,'' Mr. Hodges said.
Chem-Nuclear's proposal would not change the conditions of the landfill's permit or expand the site; the company already buries deactivated reactor parts there, Mr. Ebenhack said.
He said business should pick up in several years as utilities decommission nuclear reactors.
``One of their interests is to have some idea of the cost and to have a place to go with it,'' he said. ``One suggestion is to sell the space now and put the money into a trust to generate revenue for South Carolina scholarships.''
Soon after his 1994 election, Mr. Beasley backed Chem-Nuclear's proposal to keep open the Barnwell dump, which was scheduled to close at the end of 1995. In exchange, ChemNuclear would contribute an estimated $130 million a year from disposal fees to pay for college scholarships and to build public schools.
But to reap the windfall, Chem-Nuclear had to raise landfill fees substantially, and companies have found other ways to handle their waste, reducing the state's anticipated revenue.
Last year, to ensure the 2-year-old scholarship program did not fall short, the Legislature required that Chem-Nuclear contribute a minimum $21 million annually.
The program this fall used the money to fund more than 700 merit-based scholarships of $5,000 apiece. It also funds need-based grants that last year averaged $1,010 each for 12,682 students.
In contrast, Georgia's HOPE Scholarships, funded by a state-run lottery, this year pumped $175 million into scholarships for 128,000 students.