American Ecology Field Services Awarded $5 Million Cleanup Contract At Tennessee Nuclear Facility; Contract Continues Growth of On-Site Remediation Business.

Business Editors

BOISE, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 20, 2002

Steve Romano, President and Chief Executive Officer of American Ecology Corporation (Nasdaq:ECOL), today announced that the Company's Field Services division was awarded a $5 million contract to decommission a nuclear equipment recycling facility owned by a British Nuclear Fuels, Ltd. (BNFL) subsidiary in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

"This large, competitively bid award highlights the continued expansion of American Ecology's remediation services business," Romano stated, adding "The same highly trained team that successfully decommissioned a closed nuclear facility in Oak Ridge under contract to the State of Tennessee is now hard at work at the new job site."

The contract includes large nuclear component removal, decontamination, and decommissioning of the Manufacturing Sciences Corporation Recycle Facility, a wholly owned subsidiary of BNFL. The Recycle Facility previously processed radioactively contaminated materials and equipment from nuclear power plants. BNFL is among the premier international organizations operating in the nuclear area.

"In addition to its own profitable operations, our Field Services Division also directs additional business to our fixed waste processing and disposal facilities, " Romano concluded.

American Ecology Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides radioactive, PCB, hazardous and non-hazardous waste services to commercial and government customers throughout the United States, such as nuclear power plants, steel mills, medical and academic institutions and petro-chemical facilities. Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, the Company is the oldest radioactive and hazardous waste services Company in the United States.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based on our current expectations, beliefs, and assumptions about the industry and markets in which American Ecology Corporation and its subsidiaries operate. Actual results may differ materially from what is expressed herein and no assurance can be given that the Company can successfully implement its growth strategy or generate future earnings through its Field Services Division or other business activities. For information on factors that could cause actual results to differ from expectations, please refer to American Ecology Corporation's Report on Form 10-K, and most recent Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.