U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson doesn't want Italian nuclear waste stored in Utah.

The Utah Democrat sent a letter Thursday to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission asking it to deny an application to import about 20,000 tons of nuclear waste for processing in Tennessee and disposal in Utah.

"Encouraging other nations to actively pursue disposal options in the U.S. seems shortsighted at best," Matheson wrote.

The dump is not in Matheson's district, but he is the first member of the state's five-member Congressional delegation to oppose importing the waste. The dump site is in Republican Rep. Rob Bishop's district.

A spokesman for Bishop said Thursday he has not taken a position on whether the waste should be allowed in Utah.

Meanwhile, officials in Tennessee, South Carolina and Wyoming have already stated their objections to the proposal.

The waste would enter the country through Southern ports, and a portion would eventually be sent to the Clive, Utah site, about 70 miles west of Salt Lake City, after processing.

"I am particularly concerned that efforts to import waste from international sites come at a time when the U.S. is still struggling to meet its own nuclear waste storage needs and faces a carbon constrained future that may well result in a renewed focus on new nuclear power generation," Matheson wrote.

The landfill is owned by EnergySolutions Inc., which describes itself as the largest handler of radioactive waste in the U.S. The company's application to import the waste is pending before the NRC.

The NRC is seeking public comment through mid-March and has asked for the opinions of states that would be impacted by the application.

An EnergySolutions spokesman was not immediately available for comment Thursday. The company has said its processing facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn., has recycled foreign radioactive waste since 1996.