Read the New York Times editorial "The Nuclear Waste Site in Utah."

WASHINGTON — A New York Times editorial endorsing the storage of spent nuclear fuel on Skull Valley's Goshute Indian Reservation in Utah has prompted the expected outrage and contempt among Utah political leaders.

But what is more worrisome, some say, is the Friday opinion piece suggests Utah would be the appropriate place to store nuclear waste even if a permanent site at Yucca Mountain, Nev., does not proceed as planned.

"This seems like just another example of Easterners thinking they know what's best for us in the West and trying to tell us what to do with our lands," said Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah.

"It was clearly written by someone who has probably never been to our west desert and obviously doesn't understand the military implications of this proposal," he added. "To put a nuclear waste facility in the direct flight path of jets entering the most valuable test and training range our military has just doesn't make sense. The Times should have been able to recognize that."

In its editorial, the Times concluded, "We remain hopeful that Yucca can qualify as a permanent disposal site. But if Yucca fails to pass muster with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the nation will need a centralized surface site to fill the gap until a safe burial location can be found. The Indian reservation in Utah can fill that purpose."

Their rationale? Because it "becomes awkward and costly to guard and maintain the storage casks after the reactors themselves have been retired from service," the editorial says. And, the piece added, "it seems desirable to have a backup site" should Yucca Mountain not be approved.

The editorial makes a passing reference the "small, poor Indian tribe" but makes no mention that Native Americans elsewhere are almost unanimously opposed to the proposal, with some groups even going so far as to call it environmental racism.

"The editorial speaks for itself, and we are not going to discuss it," said Toby Usnik, spokesperson for the New York Times.

Does the editorial endorse environmental racism and Eastern elitism? "I can't comment on that," Usnik said.

Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, said he appreciated "the folks occupying the ivory tower of the New York Times for their input on what's best for us. I love it when intellectuals in New York decide that the best nuclear waste policy is to get it out of their back yards and ship it to Utah, which they probably still consider to be the frontier."

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said it was apparent to him the Times never really took the time to look into the matter, dismissing in the editorial local concerns over the safety of the site as "overblown."