Some of the state's top religious, business and community leaders have come out in opposition to Utah receiving higher levels of nuclear waste.

In a statement released Monday, the Alliance for Unity called the prospect of Utah accepting hotter levels of nuclear waste a danger to the community.

With such notable members as Jon M. Huntsman, Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Spencer F. Eccles, Catholic Bishop George Niederauer, Episcopal Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish and other civic and religious leaders, the vote on the stand was unanimous.

"This is a major public issue now," said Elder Alexander Morrison, Alliance for Unity executive director and emeritus member of the Quorums of the Seventy of the LDS Church. "We are particularly concerned about the chance of accidents."

The group says it is opposed to efforts to ship and possibly store uranium mill tailings from Ohio to Utah. Currently, waste management company Envirocare of Utah is not federally licensed to accept such levels of waste at its Tooele County landfill, about 75 miles west of Salt Lake City.

Recently, environmental watchdog groups protested a move by Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, to have the hotter waste reclassified as "commercial," thus allowing Envirocare and other private companies in other states to take such waste.

In the aftermath of some searing criticism, Bishop and Envirocare officials announced last week that Envirocare will not bid on a federal cleanup contract to take the uranium mill tailings from Ohio until Utah receives oversight responsibility from the federal government through local legislation. This means the waste would not be coming to Utah until 2005, if at all.

A spokeswoman for Envirocare said she felt the Alliance for Unity's decision was uninformed.

"We're very sorry that this decision was made," said Envirocare spokeswoman Bette Arial. "It is obviously the result of a very great misinformation campaign that has been perpetuated through the media."

Morrison said aside from statements about the Main Street Plaza issue, this is the first time the Alliance for Unity has taken an official position on a public policy issue.

The group typically focuses on charity projects, such as helping the Utah Food Bank collect 1.2 million pounds of food, or issues of religion such as healing religious rifts in the community.

Morrison said the group feels the issue of higher-level nuclear waste affects the health and safety of all residents in Utah. Accidents, such as earthquakes or traffic accidents, could result in harm to residents. Accepting higher-level waste could also make Utah a target for terrorism, Morrison added.

"To put at risk the health, safety and well-being of Utahns, including generations yet unborn, is bad public policy," Morrison said on behalf of his fellow Alliance for Unity members.

Arial invited alliance members to tour the Envirocare facility to see for themselves what goes on there.

---

E-MAIL: gfattah@desnews.com