Nuclear waste battle is looming in D.C.

A high-powered lobbyist from Utah is heading to Washington, D.C., this evening to jawbone members of Congress against the Private Fuel Storage nuclear repository — none other than Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

"The Cedar Mountain wilderness legislation is moving along," and he's going to Washington to ensure it keeps moving along, Huntsman said during an interview in his office Tuesday.

He was referring to a provision inserted in the military spending bill before Congress that would set up the Cedar Mountain Wilderness Area in Tooele County.

The purpose of that action is to block construction of the proposed Private Fuel Storage high-level nuclear waste storage repository on the Skull Valley Goshutes Reservation, about 50 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

If a wilderness area is established, a railroad spur could not be built where planners envision it to carry spent nuclear fuel rods from power plants to the PFS site. Other than some special exceptions, the Wilderness Act bars motor vehicles in wilderness areas and prevents building roads and other projects — such as railroads — that would mar the natural landscape.

Huntsman said he is encouraged that Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., now supports the wilderness proposal.

For years, Reid has been at odds with some members of the Utah congressional delegation who did not back him in his drive to ban shipment of the same sort of waste to the government's proposed permanent repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev.

Huntsman has opposed Yucca Mountain, and recently Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, announced he was reversing his stance and opposes the Nevada repository. Bennett said he now is against shipments of the spent fuel rods, preferring they remain at the power plants where they are stored until reprocessing becomes feasible.

Seven weeks after Bennett's reversal on Yucca, Reid came out against PFS and in favor of the wilderness provision.

Huntsman said he will spend Thursday and Friday meeting with conferees who will meet to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the military spending bill.

He wants to "make sure we've got critical mass to move this forward successfully," Huntsman said. "We want to make sure that we get it done, not wait any longer."

According to the governor, the conference committee should be meeting soon to finalize the legislation.

"It looks like we're in good shape with Sen. Reid supporting us, as opposed to his previous position," Huntsman said. "So I think we've got a good, fighting chance to get this thing through — which spells the end of PFS."

He plans to meet with all five members of the Utah congressional delegation and with as many of the conferees as he can.

With Reid opposing PFS, Huntsman added, "This is a new day."

Mike Lee, the governor's general counsel, said Huntsman will be meeting with "key members of Congress" but he did not have a final list of those he will meet with other than the Utahns.

Wilderness designation, he added, would "create a significant impediment to PFS' plans to store spent nuclear fuel on the reservation."

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E-mail: bau@desnews.com