Butch Otter
The Department of Energy is considering the Idaho National Laboratory as a possible storage site for up to 17,000 tons of mercury.
The agency is looking for storage sites because mercury exports will be banned beginning in 2013.
The 890-square-mile federal nuclear research complex in eastern Idaho is one of seven sites that the department is considering.
A final site or group of sites will be named on Jan. 1, 2010, as long-term storage areas for domestically produced mercury.
Mercury is toxic and has been linked to health concerns, including pulmonary and neural disorders. (AP)
