Signed by Governor Bill Ritter, Jr.

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires earlier, more extensive public notices of radioactive material releases, facilities, and shipments for disposal.

Highlights:

-Requires a site that causes a release into the groundwater that exceeds the basic standards for groundwater to provide annual written notices of the status and any remediation activities associated with the release (Sec. 2). -Prohibits (in the case of a licensee requesting a hearing) classified material from being processed until the licensee's dispute over the financial assurance warranty is resolved, unless the licensee posts a bond (Sec. 3). -Requires applications submitted for approval of facilities, sites, and shipments for disposal of radioactive waste to be approved, approved with conditions, or denied within 360 days after the second public meeting (Sec. 5). -Specifies that within 90 days prior to a facility receiving, storing, processing, or disposing of classified material, the facility must notify the department, which will notify the public of the county in which the facility is located (Sec. 5). -Requires the notice to contain a detailed plan and demonstrate that the material contains technically and economically recoverable uranium, without taking into account its value as disposal material (Sec. 5). -Specifies that once the department determines that the notice is complete, it will be published on the website for 60 days in which the public can comment and public hearings may be held (Sec. 5). -Requires environmental assessments in connection with applications for a license, a five-year renewal, or license amendment to contain a list of all material violations and all necessary permits and any changes to local land use ordinances (Sec. 6).

Full Bill Text