Proposal to allow more toxic waste challenged

Monday, Feb. 16, 2004 | 11:11 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A proposed state regulation that would open the door to more toxic waste being shipped into Nevada is being questioned by an environmental expert at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Glenn Miller, professor and director of the graduate program in Environmental Science and Health, is asking why Nevadans would want to change state environmental regulations to "allow substantially increased potentially toxic waste being shipped into Nevada."

Miller addressed his concerns to Allen Biaggi, chief of the state Division of Environmental Protection, last week in an e-mail. The proposed change is to be considered by the state Environmental Commission on Feb. 26 in Reno.

US Ecology, which operates the toxic waste burial site at Beatty, is asking for the change to reduce the cost of handling a ton of waste from $17 to $3. Under the proposal, some waste that is considered hazardous in other states would not be considered hazardous in Nevada.

That all prompted Miller to ask: "What is the compelling interest for the state of Nevada to substantially reduce the amount of funds obtained and allow larger amounts of less well-characterized and potentially toxic wastes, to come to our state?"

Biaggi said his division conducted several workshops around the state on this regulation. Biaggi said the comments of Miller were similar to those of out-of-state competitors to US Ecology.

"(Miller and the waste industry) all sort of align in the same tone and tenure," Biaggi said.

Biaggi said previously it was premature to tell whether the proposed regulation will result in more hazardous waste on Nevada's highways.

Its aim, he said, is to make prices for burial at Beatty competitive with California, Utah, Arizona and other states. These prices are adjusted every three or four years, said Biaggi.

California charges $5.72 a ton, Idaho $5 and Oregon $2.50.

John Walker, executive director of the environmental commission, said Friday he has not received any protests yet regarding the proposed regulation.

Miller, former president of the Sierra Club of Reno, said he supports keeping the Beatty dump open to manage hazardous waste but the amount of waste shipped there has increased over the past three years, so there should not be a financial problem.

"Nevada hazardous waste generators do not rely exclusively on the US Ecology site, and other options are indeed available," he said.

He said the amount of Nevada hazardous waste being trucked to Beatty is a "very small component of the waste managed at the site," with most of it coming from outside Nevada.

What also irks Miller, he said, is that there will be no manifest on the trucks defining what this waste will be. The manifest, he said means the shipment "could include any sort of contaminated materials containing almost anything and the information required would only include the locations from which it was taken, the type and quantity of waste."

If an accident occurred on the highway, those called to clean it up would have no idea what they will be dealing with, he said.

Some waste that is considered hazardous in other states would not be considered hazardous in Nevada, under the proposed regulation. Miller said there could be some easing of the regulation but there should not be a blanket exemption.

Miller suggested the proposed regulation be amended to reduce the types of material that can be trucked into Nevada.