South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges (D) is running up against residents and leaders of Barnwell County as he tries to ditch the state’s image as the nation’s nuclear dumping ground. Chem-Nuclear Systems operates a repository in the county that takes low-level radioactive waste from 38 states, and locals see the company as a good neighbor and an important source of jobs. But Hodges wants the state to enter into a compact to accept radwaste only from Connecticut and New Jersey, and he has appointed a 13-member Nuclear Task Force to assess the issue. If the task force recommends new limits on the waste that can be brought into South Carolina, 35 other states will be left scrambling for new dumping grounds and they are unlikely to find other welcoming communities.
