The state may dump its plans to build a radioactive waste disposal facility that not too many people are happy about.

The federally mandated facility would accept all of the low-level radioactive waste generated in the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia for 30 years. Pennsylvania agreed to create the facility due to the fact that the state produces about 75 percent of the waste among the four states.

Yet James Seif, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary, recently announced that Pennsylvania would talk to the other states at a June 18 meeting about suspending its search for a place to build it.

Back in 1980, the nation appeared to face a grave shortage of places to dispose growing amounts of low-level radioactive waste. Since then, the volume of wastes produced has dropped to a fraction of what it had been, leaving enough room at other existing disposal facilities.

Pennsylvania hired a company now named Chem-Nuclear Systems LLC to find a site, and then build and operate the waste disposal facility.

Chem-Nuclear then marked out 78 percent of the state, but qualified areas still remained. Because opposition to accepting the facility was in the vast majority, Governor Ridge decided in 1995 to ask communities to volunteer to house the facility in exchange for annual payments, college scholarships and freedom from taxes for those living closest to it.

A single community has yet to volunteer.

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