Little Rock. Ark. ? Representatives from four states seemed ready Thursday to abandon two decades of work to build a low-level radioactive waste dump but keep intact their organization in case public health and environmental problems arise.

Delegates from Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma expressed disappointment that their efforts as the Central Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact has not produced a waste facility as Nebraska, a former member, refused to license a dump site in its northeastern corner.

Beginning a two-day meeting, they grappled with questions about the compact’s fate and a $141 million settlement the compact will receive Aug. 1 to settle the legal dispute with Nebraska.

“It’s hard to admit defeat. It’s hard to work on something for a long time. You know, at what point do you say ‘Uncle?'” said Catherine Sharp, the compact commissioner for Oklahoma.

On the other hand, the delegates were encouraged that the waste problem did not become as bad as what was envisioned 25 years ago, when Congress passed a law mandating states to form compacts and build interstate dumps, and that advanced technology has reduced the waste mass and now disposes it more effectively.

“We’ve been struggling for 25 years to solve a problem that never existed,” Kansas commissioner Joseph Harkins said. “The private system today is meeting the demand, and there is no pressing need for government intervention.”

But none of the four commissioners seemed ready to disband, saying it would be more practical to scale down and remain prepared to respond if necessary. They noted that nuclear power was regaining public acceptance as an energy source, especially in light of U.S. dependency on fossil fuels and foreign oil. And changes in the marketplace, they said, could make it difficult for commercial operators to handle the waste.

A federal law passed in 1980 required states to form regional compacts to dispose of their low-level waste, such as tools from nuclear power plants, needles from hospitals and clothing from research labs, or be individually responsible for the waste.

No compact to date has opened a regional dump and the country’s low-level waste is primarily handled by private facilities in South Carolina, Utah and Washington state.

The commissioners approved resolutions Thursday to not use any of the $141 million settlement to pursue building another waste dump and take control of about $14 million that had been placed in escrow for a possible waste dump project involving Texas and Nebraska.

With the Central Interstate compact, formed in 1983, each member state has paid about $750,000, while private companies have posted millions. States and waste generators have contributed nearly $89 million to the failed disposal facility project in Butte, Neb., according to the compact office in Lincoln, Neb.

Of that, the major generators and their estimated shares of the total were Entergy Arkansas, 21 percent; Entergy Gulf States, 17 percent; Entergy Louisiana, 16 percent; Nebraska Public Power District, 16 percent, Omaha Public Power District, 13 percent; and Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp., 17 percent.

In Arkansas, the state contribution came from the Health Department budget. The Duratek facility in Barnwell, S.C., handles much of Arkansas’ waste. But Gilson said it has been threatening to shut down.