Vermont radioactive waste water could be trucked to Idaho

Federal officials are considering approving a plan to truck 200,000 gallons of low-level radioactive waste water from a closed eastern U.S. nuclear power plant to Idaho.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission earlier this week said an environmental assessment found no significant impact to the environment in storing the radioactive waste about 40 miles south of Boise.

The contaminated water is from Entergy Nuclear Operations’ Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in Vernon, Vermont, which ceased operating in 2014.

The waste water would be trucked to US Ecology Idaho’s site near Grand View in southwest Idaho.

The NRC says the plan requires an exemption because US Ecology Idaho doesn’t have a license from the federal agency to store radioactive waste.

It’s not clear when the NRC will issue its decision.