Moving spent nuclear fuel rods to Utah would likewise imperil the entire nation, with little prospect of benefit to the public. But If I was a terrorist bent on making a nuclear weapon, I'd be smacking my lips at the prospect of stealing or hijacking a truck or train carrying spent nuclear fuel rods across the county. Five years ago I would have dismissed such talk as the stuff of an action-adventure motion picture. After four commercial jets were hijacked and used as missiles to plow into the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and a fourth that crashed in rural Pennsylvania, we'd better be open to the prospect of any and all possibilities.

If the spent fuel rods are as safe as the utilities purport, why not leave them where they are until a permanent solution can be determined?

The business deal between the Skull Valley Goshutes and Private Fuel Storage, the consortium of utilities, is proprietary, so the financial benefit to the tribe for permitting the disposal on their land is speculative at best. It would be accurate to say that it's very lucrative. A billion dollar baby, one might say.

The issue is further complicated by a federal law that requires the U.S. government to take nuke waste off the hands of nuclear power operators. Eight sites have closed their doors, and operators are spending about $5 million a year to secure each site until the government comes up with a permanent solution. Add to that the potential of a legal settlement for the government's delays in assuming responsibility for the waste.

Is it just me, or does it feel as though other interests are gambling away our security? It's yet another game of chance we can't afford to play.

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Marjorie Cortez is a Deseret Morning News editorial writer. E-mail her at marjorie@desnews.com