Regrettably, attempts to attach wilderness language to the Defense Authorization Act were scuttled in a recent congressional conference committee meeting. A "wilderness" designation would have blocked the construction of a rail spur needed to transport nuclear waste to Goshute tribal lands in Tooele County's Skull Valley.

The move was intended to halt plans by Private Fuel Storage, a consortium of mostly Eastern nuclear power utilities, to store 40,000 tons of nuclear waste in above ground storage canisters on tribal lands. PFS has entered a contract with the Skull Valley Band of Goshutes to store the waste temporarily for 20 years with an option for another 20 years.

It is unclear why the conference committee refused to include the wilderness language in the authorization bill. A wilderness designation would have been an effective tool in halting the proposed storage plans, which are troublesome on many levels.

First, Utah shouldn't be saddled with a reputation as the dumping ground for other states' waste, let alone nuclear waste. Although the agreement between PFS and the Skull Valley Goshutes is for "temporary" storage, it's not too much of a stretch to assume that a 40-year temporary arrangement could readily become permanent.

Second, Utah and the military have a shared interest in preserving the viability of the Utah Test and Training Range. As Hill Air Force Base is reviewed for possible closure in the next round of base closure hearings, prohibiting nuclear waste storage in Tooele County could only strengthen Hill's position. As one member of Utah's congressional delegation explained, the Air Force considers the storage of nuclear waste in Tooele County as a real threat to their training operations."

Gov. Olene Walker said the wilderness strategy was but one option discussed by members of the Utah congressional delegation in a recent huddle with state leaders. We hope some legal means can be achieved to help PFS find a suitable site for storage of its nuclear waste, as it was promised by the federal government — one that does not entail bringing it to the Beehive State.