SENATE BILL REPORT

                                    SB 5461

                            AS OF JANUARY 28, 1992

Brief Description:  Requiring legislative approval as a condition to our representative to the Northwest low‑level waste compact grants access to nonparty states.

SPONSORS:Senators Williams and Sutherland.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY & UTILITIES

Staff:  Phil Moeller (786‑7445)

Hearing Dates:February 26, 1991; January 31, 1992

BACKGROUND:

Washington is the host state for the regional compact of states organized to collectively deal with low-level radioactive waste issues.  Other states in the compact include Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Utah. 

A commercial low-level radioactive waste disposal facility is located on federal land at Hanford.  The site is leased to the state and then sub-leased to the commercial operator of the site.

Because Washington serves as the host state in which the disposal facility is located, the person representing Washington on the compact committee has the equivalent of veto power over compact committee decisions.

Existing state law directs that after 1992, the Washington representative may approve access to the state's facility only for the states that are currently members of the Rocky Mountain Compact or states which generate less than 1,000 cubic feet of waste annually and are contiguous with a state that is a member of the Northwest Compact.

SUMMARY:

The Washington representative on the compact committee is prohibited from authorizing access to the disposal site to states outside the northwest region unless the Legislature approves of the access through a concurrent resolution.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  none requested