Diluting high-level nuclear waste before burying it

New York Times : Storing spent nuclear fuel rods and other medium- and high-level nuclear waste is a federal responsibility. Storing medical isotopes and other low-level nuclear waste is a state responsibility. As Matthew Wald of the New York Times reports, two companies that handle low-level waste for Texas and Utah have asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for permission to add medium- and high-level waste to their usual low-level waste. The companies—EnergySolutions of Salt Lake City and Waste Control Specialists of Andrews, Texas—argue that the mix’s average level of radioactivity would qualify the waste as low-level. If the NRC gives the go-ahead, the companies could compete for lucrative federal contracts.