More hazardous waste may be shipped to Nevada

Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2004 | 10:58 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- More hazardous waste from other states may be rolling into Nevada for burial at the dump in Beatty under a proposed regulation by the state Division of Environmental Protection.

Beatty is about 117 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

The purpose of the regulation, according to the division, is to lower the prices charged for disposal of hazardous waste at US Ecology, the Beatty dump operator. The dump needs to continue to operate so that it can provide an affordable in-state site for disposal of Nevada waste, proponents of the change say.

The state Environmental Commission has tentatively set Feb. 26 for a hearing in Reno regarding possible adoption of the regulation which has support from some rural legislators.

So far there has not been any announced opposition. The Bureau of Waste Management in the division held an informal public hearing and is now sending the proposed regulation to the environmental commission.

Allen Biaggi, administrator of the state Division of Environmental Protection, said Monday it's is too early to tell whether the proposed regulation will result in more hazardous waste on Nevada's highways.

The purpose of the regulation, he said, is to make prices for burial at Beatty competitive with California, Utah, Arizona and other states. The prices are adjusted every three our four years, said Biaggi.

Nevada charges $17 per ton for this type of waste. If the change is approve, the rate would be reduced to $3 per ton. California charges $5.72 a ton, Idaho $5 and Oregon $2.50.

The proposal to lower the price came from US Ecology, said Biaggi. But this has been done periodically since the dump opened in the 1960s.

James Trent, program developer for the Bureau of Waste Management said this reduction would make the Beatty dump competitive with other states and waste producers may choose Nevada.

Biaggi said if there is any opposition, it may come from competitors of US Ecology.

The proposed regulation deals with remedial waste, said Biaggi. This material comes from underground gasoline station tank cleanup or environmental spills. The waste, which might be classified as hazardous in some other states, would still be handled as hazardous waste when it reaches Beatty for disposal.

Trent said some other states such as California have stricter definitions of what is considered hazardous waste than does Nevada. Nevada's regulations mirror the federal rules, he said. So if it is shipped to Nevada, it would be designated as non-hazardous and eligible for a reduced burial fee.

The dump at Beatty buried 116,000 ton of hazardous materials last year, 75,000 tons in 2002 and 93,000 in 2001. Those supporting the change in the regulation are Sen. Mike McGinness, R-Fallon and Dean Rhoads, R-Tuscarora and Assemblyman Ron Sherer, R-Pahrump.

The division also received letters of support from Nye County and from Ray Bacon, executive director of the Nevada Manufacturers Association.

If the regulation is approved, Trent said it was "likely" there would be more waste being shipped to Nevada from other states. But he said, "The purpose is to help the Beatty facility remain competitive so we can process hazardous waste from Nevada companies," instead of requiring them to ship it outside Nevada, he said.

Biaggi said people wanting to comment on the proposed regulation are still free to contact his office. "The door is still open for public protest," he said.