American West isn't a toilet for dumping nuclear waste

With Nevada Sen. Harry Reid in town for LDS Conference and to speak at the Hinkley Institute of Politics (scheduled last Friday, after the deadline for this column), the issue of high-level nuclear waste storage was expected to heat up considerably.

Pignanelli: Utahns should be grateful to Private Fuel Storage (PFS) — the waste company pushing hard to store nuclear waste on the Goshute Reservation. Until they stomped into Utah, many of us believed nuclear energy could be a practical partial substitute to fossil fuels, thus decreasing air pollution and dependence on foreign oil.

But PFS was kind enough to illuminate this country's nuclear power policy: Eastern and Midwestern residents can enjoy cheap electricity from atomic reactions, and its deadly byproduct can then be dumped in Western desert states. This provincial attitude by PFS is a reflection of the perception by many Americans that the Rocky Mountain area is a giant toilet for their lethal trash.

From the moment he was sworn in, Congressman Jim Matheson demonstrated a clear vision of safeguarding our lands. He consistently articulated the best protection Utah had against dumping of nuclear waste was participating in a unified effort with other states (especially Nevada) against such governmental and private activity within their borders. Matheson understood that discarding radioactive refuse in nearby Nevada would make Utah more attractive for the next disposal site. When legislation to allow storage of radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain was proceeding through Congress, the Nevada leaders counted on the support of their brothers and sisters in the other Western states. Matheson correctly expressed concerns that the toxic garbage traveling through Utah toward Yucca is an open invitation to terrorists and locked arms with our neighbors and shouted opposition. Unfortunately, the remainder of the Utah congressional delegation voted to ship the waste to Yucca in the hope this would distract attention away from Utah. The Yucca facility is not large enough to satisfy current disposal needs, and federal officials still believe Utah is the logical choice for 40,000 tons of the noxious sludge. It is understandable our Republican senators and representatives wish to sustain President George W. Bush, but in this matter, geography must trump partisan allegiance.