Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, has pledged to advocate for Reid's proposal in the House. Bishop's chief of staff, Scott Parker, said nuclear waste storage is a fight worthy of Western states joining forces. "And Rob has said for a long time that on-site storage seems to make the most sense."

Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, agrees with Bennett. "For many reasons, I feel it may be time to rethink the wisdom and necessity of transporting nuclear material cross country and storing it in the western United States. . . . Reprocessing is where we should be focusing our attention, not on the unsafe and potentially hazardous transportation of nuclear material."

The entire issue needs to be rethought, Bennett said. The fundamental principles of that new policy should include unqualified support for more nuclear power, that the nation work toward the technology that would allow reprocessing of waste and that all nuclear waste be left where it is until reprocessing can proceed, he said.

If it is safe to transport nuclear waste, and it is safe to store nuclear waste at an interim storage site like Skull Valley, "by definition it is equally as safe to leave it where it is," he said.

The billions of dollars already invested at Yucca Mountain need not be wasted, nor should the attitude be "fill it up with dirt and leave it." He didn't say what that might be, but a useful purpose that would benefit both Nevada and the country could be found by Congress. Bennett said he would be "happy to join" with the Nevada delegation to find the best solution, admitting again that "it is now clear it (Yucca Mountain) does not make sense."

"Sen. Reid and Sen. Ensign have the right to say 'I told you so,' " he said.

Responded Reid: "I look forward to joining forces with Sen. Bennett as we work to protect our states, the West and the nation."

---

Contributing: Joe Bauman; Lisa Riley Roche

E-mail: spang@desnews.com