The Delta center is now the EnergySolutions Arena, and many Utahns are not pleased with the change. In an exclusive Survey USA poll for Eyewitness News, 40% have heard of EnergySolutions and nearly 60% think the Jazz - EnergySolutions partnership is bad for Utah’s image, and only 13% think it’s good. When asked about the name, 82% say they prefer the old name. In the same Survey USA poll, 41% say it’s a bad trend for pro-sports to name its venues for corporate sponsors. 45% say it makes no difference. But they say “all press is good press”. What do you think? Will this affect the nuclear industry?
I don’t have all the details yet, but what I do know is that Charles Judd filed a new $60 million dollar lawsuit against EnergySolutions Thursday. Judd, a onetime president of what’s now called EnergySolutions wants $60 million, plus damages, for what he claims was EnergySolutions’ fraud against him and violations of the Utah Antitrust Act.
There seems to be a lot of fraud in the air. Judd served as president from 1997 to 2002, while the U.S. Energy Department barred the company’s then-owner from being involved in daily operations because of corruption allegations. The lawsuit also accuses EnergySolutions of using its tight relations with government officials, discriminatory pricing and strong-arm tactics to build a national waste monopoly that is driving him (Judd) and other competitors out of the industry. In addition, the suit claims EnergySolutions and its reps provided “economic considerations to governmental officials and elected representatives, including loans, favors, employment opportunities, business deals and/or other conduct in the nature of payoffs.” (Salt Lake Tribune)
There is talk about a new proposal which would allow the nuclear waste dump in Tooele County to grow again by merging two of its existing waste cells into a new mega-landfill reaching nearly eight stories tall.
If approved, the expansion would further enlarge the largest commercial radioactive waste dump in the country and mark the fourth time the Division has allowed EnergySolutions to expand radioactive waste disposal in Utah. Furthermore, it would increase EnergySolutions’ capacity for nuclear waste to over 13 million cubic yards - more than 5 times its original permitted size of 2.2 million cubic yards.
There is a law which says that when a radioactive waste facility wants to grow by more than 50% over its 1990 size, the Legislature and the governor have to sign off on the move. But apparently this law is not being enforced. Consequently, the dump has grown 400%.
Some say that there should be no more unchecked growth at EnergySolutions. And in addition, there should be free, searchable, online access to nuclear waste dump applications, amendments, reports and Board meeting transcripts. Currently there is not much information available to the public.
What do you think?