OMAHA — A compact commission has received more than $100 million in claims while it waits for the state of Nebraska to pay a court settlement over the failed siting of a proposed low-level radioactive waste storehouse in Boyd County.

Nuclear utilities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas and Nebraska are asking for $88.5 million; developer US Ecology wants about $11 million; and the village of Butte is asking for about $4 million.

Butte Mayor Cindy Schroetlin told that commission at its annual meeting Wednesday in Omaha the village deserves that amount and "possibly more" because residents have paid a high price, in terms of money and emotion, during the long siting process.

"Because of our support for the waste site, the businesses of Butte have suffered financially through boycotts spanning over 15 years," she said.

Schroetlin said the village made about $2.7 million in improvements to its water system in anticipation of the storehouse being built and people moving into the area. Now, it is struggling to operate the water system and make an annual bond payment of about $35,000.

The mayor also said the village needs help paying for improvements in its wastewater treatment plant, which could cost between $260,000 and $600,000.

"I'm not here to ask for money and spend it foolishly," Schroetlin told commissioners. "We have specific needs and need to meet our financial obligations."

Ken Reiser, a longtime supporter of the project, urged the commission to give some of the settlement money to the village of Butte, the local education fund, the Niobrara Valley Hospital Foundation and the Butte Community Historic Center.

The commission, made up of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, is expecting $142 million from Nebraska Aug. 1.

The state was ordered to pay a $151 million judgment after U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf found former Gov. Ben Nelson acted in "bad faith" and blocked efforts to build the nuclear waste site.

Nebraska negotiated a settlement and reduced the amount to $142 million.

Nebraska is no longer a member of the compact, but it has been helping the commission find another location for a storehouse.

Commission chairwoman Laura Gilson, who represents Arkansas, said the commission is negotiating with the owners of the Envirocare nuclear waste disposal facility near Clive, Utah, and the state of Texas, where a Dallas company, Waste Control Specialists, has applied for a license to build a storehouse in Andrews County.

Commissioners went into executive session to discuss the negotiations and also the legal validity of the claims. No decision was reached.

Instead, the commission decided to hold a special meeting July 14-15 in Little Rock, Ark., to discuss the future of the compact while it waits for the money.

"We need a road map for next year or the next 10 years," Gilson said.

To help them, the commission voted to negotiate a contract with James O'Connell, who once served as a commissioner from Kansas. Gilson said O'Connell has the expertise and is willing to take on the job for up to six months.

Commissioners also heard presentations from two financial consultants — Gregory W. Group of Tulsa, Okla., and Consulting Service Group of Memphis, Tenn. — who want to advise the commission on how to invest its money.

Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.

Who wants the nuclear waste money?

The Central Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission expects to receive $142 million Aug. 1 from the state of Nebraska. The state owes the commission the money because it lost a lawsuit over the failed siting of a proposed nuclear waste storehouse in Boyd County. Most of the money spent on the project came from nuclear utilities in the compact region.

Here is a breakdown of the $88.5 million in claims submitted by the nuclear utilities and the share they want:

* Entergy Arkansas Inc., 20.48 percent, or $18,124,800

* Entergy Gulf States Inc., 17.22 percent, or $15,239,700

* Entergy Louisiana Inc., 16.01 percent, or $14,168,850

* Omaha Public Power District, 13.55 percent, or $11,991,750

* Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp., 16.23 percent, or $14,363,550

* Nebraska Public Power District, 16.51 percent, or $14,611,350

Other claims

* US Ecology, about $11 million

* Village of Butte, about $4 million