Remarks By Governor David M. Beasley
April 13, 1995
In letters between me and the governor of North Carolina, I have gotten no indication that our neighbor to the north will site a low-level waste facility any time in the near future.
Through the eight-state Southeast Compact Commission, North Carolina has been given nearly 70 million dollars for site evaluation and development.
The North Carolina legislature has paid lip service to the project and has appropriated a minimal amount of money for a new facility, but is not expected to appropriate any more.
North Carolina is not only putting the Compact agreement at risk, but has put South Carolina in an untenable position.
The Compact Commission is obviously growing weary of North Carolina's empty promises, with some states indicating a reluctance to continue giving site development money to North Carolina.
As a matter of fact, the Commission is so sure North Carolina will miss its next milestone for action on December 31st of this year, that it is already holding the next five million dollar fine in escrow to be paid to South Carolina on that date.
North Carolina announced a schedule of mid-1998 for having an operational facility, but that's assuming no one challenges the site or the facility in court.
It's becoming more and more clear: North Carolina will not have an operational low-level waste facility in this century.
Part of the problem is that the North Carolina Low Level Waste Authority can't even deal with its own state bureaucracy. The North Carolina Division of Radiation Protection says it's trying to protect the public.
Well, I have a message for North Carolina bureaucrats: we're trying to ensure public safety in South Carolina, and if Barnwell has to close on schedule, there won't be any public safety in at least an eight state region.
The Barnwell facility has a life of ten more years. In its history, it has never been cited for any safety, health or environmental problems.
Other states are looking to us for leadership due to the dismal failures in North Carolina's leadership...and I say we should lead.
There are those who insist that Barnwell be shut down. That's just flat irresponsible.
In South Carolina, there are 350 businesses and organizations licensed to process and use radioactive materials. There are at least 30 generators that would have to store waste on-site at a tremendous risk to the public.
Ask the people of Charleston if they want waste from the Medical University and other generating facilities stored right there on the peninsula, only to be washed through their streets when the next Hugo hits the coast.
The issue here is public safety. Today, I am calling the South Carolina General Assembly to action. I am saying we must be responsible in the face of North Carolina's irresponsibility.
I am calling on the General Assembly to extend the life of the Barnwell facility to help us keep the Compact strong, to keep pressure on North Carolina and to keep us from having hastily constructed storage sites around the state run by inexperienced operators.
I am also calling for storage fees to be imposed for all generators of waste at a rate of 220 dollars per cubic foot.
The income should be used only for non-recurring expenses in education. I propose using 30 percent of the 140 million dollars generated annually for a scholarship fund for South Carolina students. It will eventually become self-sustaining and is similar to what Senator Setzler has proposed with the money he has placed in the Tuition Grants fund.
The remaining 70 percent will be used to pay for new schools where they're needed in every district in the state. We'll create a bond pool for construction, and use the interest to develop a strong technological infrastructure for the statewide system.
As soon as North Carolina opens its facility, Barnwell will close. But in the meantime, the potential one-point-four billion dollars generated until it reaches capacity in ten years will help us address problems in our public schools and in higher education.
We have a broad base of support in the House and Senate for this action because those you see with us today, and many others who couldn't be with us, recognize that this is a public safety issue above any other consideration.
If, in the course of protecting the health and safety of all South Carolinians we can generate revenue from sources outside the state, then I propose using the money for specific non-recurring expenditures in education.
I have written all of the governors of Southeast Compact States and have asked them to join me in sanctions against North Carolina, which will include denying access to the Barnwell facility, and I have made it clear we will not expand the Barnwell site beyond its current capacity.
Each of the governors in the Southeast Compact states are facing the same public safety and health issues we are facing if we don't have a safe and proven facility in which to store low-level waste.
As I said earlier, this is an issue that must be resolved immediately. We can't wait until the General Assembly convenes next January. At that point, it becomes a public safety crisis.