Published Saturday, April 1, 2000
The State

New Chem-Nuclear Operator Holds Good Record in Tennessee

By DAVE L'HEUREUX
Staff Writer

A Tennessee official said Friday that GTS Duratek Inc. is a responsible operator of five low-level radioactive plants at Oak Ridge.

"I've never seen a case of deliberate deception or willful violation from them," said Billy Freeman, who oversees inspections for the Tennessee Division of Radiological Health.

Such observations offer some insight into how GTS Duratek may operate several low-level radioactive facilities, including a 325-acre disposal site, in South Carolina's rural Barnwell County.

On Wednesday, GTS Duratek paid $65 million to acquire the nuclear waste divisions of Waste Management Inc. The acquisitions include Chem-Nuclear, a Columbia-based Waste Management division specializing in commercial nuclear wastes.

Chem-Nuclear runs the disposal site and several allied facilities in Barnwell County. It employs 300 people, of which about two-thirds work in Columbia or Barnwell.

Based in Maryland, GTS Duratek is the nation's largest commercial processor of low-level radioactive wastes. It employs more than 1,300 full- and part-time employees.

Freeman said his office had cited GTS Duratek for periodic violations in its Oak Ridge plants.

"I feel comfortable saying they've always been responsive, however," Freeman added. "They may not always agree with us, but I feel ... a cooperative relationship with them."

Freeman said his office had never found GTS Duratek liable for any public health hazard at Oak Ridge.

"We've never had to suspend their licenses, or fine them," he said.