He adds that while the Bush administration is now on record saying no tests are planned, he wants to ensure that any decision by a future president also to renew tests is "transparent (and) that it must be brought before the Congress for debate."

Bennett told Linton that Utahns are suspicious of any government actions about nuclear testing because "frankly, it lied to them" in the 1950s and '60s when it said fallout was harmless — leading to high cancer rates among people downwind. He said because of that, the government must go the extra mile to ensure safe actions now.

Bennett also held up a copy of a postcard that upset downwinders have been sending him with a picture of a 1970 underground test that went bad and vented to the surface looking as if it were an above-ground test. Linton said improvements have been made in science and testing procedures to reduce chances of venting again.

Pledges did not seem to satisfy Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who is especially worried about continuing early studies by the administration on a new "Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator" bomb to penetrate and destroy underground bunkers of foreign leaders. She noted testing could become part of such efforts.

Linton downplayed that and said the bomb could deter dictators, who do not worry about their citizens, from aggressiveness if they believe the United States could still reach them. But Feinstein said it could cause enormous, uncontrollable fallout and even lead to a new arms race with battlefield nuclear arms.

"I've got to wonder who's smoking something," Feinstein said about such plans.

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E-mail: lee@desnews.com