EnergySolutions is willing to limit foreign waste

"We are also exploring opportunities to site low-level waste disposal facilities abroad in order to help other countries address their waste management issues," Creamer said.

To allay concerns about capacity at the Clive, Utah, site about 70 miles west of Salt Lake City, Creamer said he would voluntarily ask state regulators to limit the amount of foreign waste disposed of at the site to 5 percent of the facility's capacity.

However, Gov. Jon Huntsman has said he doesn't want any foreign waste disposed of in Utah.

In prepared remarks, Kent Bradford, chairman of the Utah Radiation Control Board, told the House subcommittee that "any country that has the technological capability of producing nuclear power within its borders should not seek to dispose of its waste outside them. Development of nuclear power should go hand in hand with the development of disposal options."

Earlier this month, Utah used its veto authority on an eight-state interstate compact that governs nuclear waste management in the region to say Utah would no longer accept foreign waste.

EnergySolutions is challenging the compact's authority in a lawsuit in U.S. District Court. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has said the company's import license is dependent on it having a site to dispose of the waste.

A ruling on the license application is expected this summer.