The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is reviewing security aspects of the Private Fuel Storage high-level nuclear waste repository in Tooele County at the request of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

A week ago, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission — knowing the review was ongoing — issued a license to build the plant with the finding that it can be constructed and operated safely.

Earlier, Homeland Security officials took a look at the PFS site, located in Skull Valley, 50 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. But the fact that the department was doing an actual review of the issues apparently was not released until Thursday.

Confirmation of the Homeland Security review came from NRC spokesman David McIntyre, speaking on "RadioWest," a public affairs program broadcast by KUER, the University of Utah station. Program host Doug Fabrizio asked McIntyre whether the license decision indicated the federal government was interested in increasing use of nuclear energy.

"I don't think that that's particularly the conclusion that should be drawn," McIntyre replied, speaking by telephone from NRC offices in Rockville, Md. He said the PFS proposal was made by industry years ago, not by the government.

However, he added, "The government now is moving towards rejuvenating the nuclear industry." By that, he said, he meant the U.S. Department of Energy, not the NRC, which he said is not an advocate in the matter.

McIntyre was asked to detail the steps the NRC took to review concerns about a possible attack by terrorists.

"Part of the application from PFS included a physical protection plan, a security plan, for the proposed facility," McIntyre said. Commission officials evaluated the plan a couple of years ago, he added. Part of the findings might be proprietary, meaning they could not be released publicly because they involved sensitive security issues.

"The Department of Homeland Security is currently doing a review of the security aspects of the PFS facility at Gov. Huntsman's request, and NRC is participating in that to some degree," McIntyre said.

Asked what would happen if Homeland Security were to conclude that the risk of a terrorist attack made the project unacceptable, he replied, "I can't really predict what DHS (Department of Homeland Security) would come up with."

Pressed to say what would happen if Homeland Security did make such a finding, McIntyre said, "I don't know whether they would come down and try to block it or say, 'OK, you need to do this, that or the other to alleviate those concerns.' "

McIntyre said the NRC is "always looking at security for these facilities." Whenever it finds a possibly vulnerable aspect, he said, it takes action "to shore that up."