— Security questions need to be answered about protection of the site from terrorist attack.

— The case has not been made that transporting the waste through numerous urban areas to Utah and storing these highly radioactive wastes 45 miles from our largest urban center will be safer than storing the casks at the nuclear power plants that generated them.

— The federal government's design, management and regulation of the storage of high-level radioactive waste continue to raise serious concerns. Major problems have been identified by reports of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and of the Government Accountability Office and by a non-governmental analysis accepted for publication in Princeton's peer-reviewed journal, Science and Global Security.

I strongly oppose the proposal to store high-level nuclear waste in Utah and, as governor, will use all of the tools at my disposal to fight this proposal on every front. Beyond opposition to storing high-level nuclear waste at Skull Valley, it is important that the state work actively with the Skull Valley Goshutes to pursue economic development that offers better and safer job opportunities. Utah should demand open and technically complete assessments of the Skull Valley and other proposals, just as we once did for the proposal to base MX missiles in Utah and Nevada in 1979-80. Another example occurred about 20 years ago when Utah took the initiative to apply scientific analysis to the two possible high-level nuclear waste sites in Utah (Lavender Canyon and Gypsum Dome) that were part of the initial list of potential depositories. This analysis used solid science to document the problems of these sites and their risks to Utah and the Colorado River. It helped make these sites among the first to be dropped from further investigation. Utah must be concerned about the transportation of nuclear waste if storage sites are located in the West. The federal government has the ultimate legal authority to regulate the interstate transportation of wastes. But Utah still can exercise influence through skilled use of federal laws, persistent and constructive negotiation with federal agencies, and committed and effective mobilization of political support. We must secure better support for Utah's interests in route selection, monitoring, and emergency preparedness for transportation through Utah of high-level wastes to any sites.

B. "Hotter" Radioactive Waste