Published Thursday, June 22, 2000, in The State
State Sets New Rates for Nuclear Waste
By DAN LEWERENZ
States outside the Atlantic Compact will be allowed to continue shipping low-level nuclear waste to a Barnwell County landfill, but they'll pay more for some of it.
The Associated PressNow that South Carolina is part of the Atlantic Compact with New Jersey and Connecticut, the state Budget and Control Board went about the business Wednesday of setting new rates.
Gov. Jim Hodges, who pushed the Legislature to approve joining the compact, wants to eliminate most waste shipments to Barnwell. Waste from states other than Connecticut and New Jersey will be gradually eliminated during the next eight years.
The object is to leave room in the landfill for waste that will be created when South Carolina's nuclear plants are decommissioned.
Under the new rules, all states pay the same fees based on the weight and density of their waste. The rates start at $7.70 per pound for waste with a density less than 45 pounds per cubic foot and decrease as the density goes up.
Added to that is a surcharge for how radioactive the waste is, and it will be higher for states outside the Atlantic Compact.
Budget and Control Board spokesman Mike Sponhour said the rates are similar to those currently charged by Chem-Nuclear Systems, which runs the Barnwell site for the state.
The rate charged to Atlantic Compact states would be adjusted annually on the basis of cost-of-living increases. The rates for other states can be changed by the Budget and Control Board at any time, Sponhour said.
The board also approved a request from the Williamsburg County Transportation Committee to issue $2 million in state highway bonds to speed improvements of state-maintained roads in the county.
Board member and Comptroller General Jim Lander said the request should be a reminder of the need to better maintain the state's roads. "One good winter storm, and we'd be in a whole lot of trouble," Lander said.
In other business, the board:
Approved a $10 million loan to Converse College in Spartanburg for renovations to the Physical Activity Complex, the Milliken Art Building and the Montgomery Student Center.
Authorized state and local law enforcement agencies to buy anti-drug equipment from the U.S. Defense Department.
Approved the 2000-01 annual investment plan for the state retirement system.
Established raises of up to 5 percent for unclassified state employees, including college and university faculty.
Authorized the Medical University Hospital Authority, which is taking over operation of the school's teaching hospitals, to take on short-term debt.