A bevy of environmental issues on agenda

If the secrecy is because of some national security concerns, he said, the state still should know what is going on. Most department heads, governors and legislators should be able to get a security clearance if that's what it takes, he added.

The measure lost last year, "so I decided I'd try it again this year," Davis said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to talk with the new governor about it."

Sen. Curtis S. Bramble, R-Provo, is the sponsor of SB24, currently titled simply "Waste Amendments," which would modify the law concerning disposal of radioactive waste. It embodies the task force recommendations.

"The task force spent two years of rather intense study of that issue," he said.

He and the task force oppose an outright ban on B and C wastes because they are already kept out and a ban might trigger a lawsuit. A suit could turn the decision over to the court rather than lawmakers, Bramble said.

The bill would require the Utah Solid and Hazardous Waste Control Board to report to the Legislature every five years, starting in 2006, on adequacy of funding to care perpetually for the waste disposed here.

It would increase the daily penalty for violating the Solid and Hazardous Waste Act and it would provide that the operator of a disposal facility, not its clients, is responsible for payment of certain fees. Also, it would adjust fees and clarify rules concerning PCBs, a hazardous chemical.

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