Huntsman vetoes bill on disposal of nuclear waste

Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, wasn't ready Tuesday to predict whether there would be an override vote. Nor was House Majority Leader Jeff Alexander, R-Provo.

"We'll have to wait and see," Alexander said.

Valentine said some senators might change their votes.

"Sometimes you lose a vote or two when you go into a veto override," he said.

Knowing that the House was less likely to muster the necessary votes, he said, "would have an effect."

The veto came as no surprise. That it came when it did was due to the 10-day deadline the governor has after the passage of a bill to decide what to do with it. Although he has put together what he calls a veto list, this is expected to be his only veto during the session.

Huntsman had vetoed a couple of bills from the 2005 Legislature — his first as governor — but only because problems had been discovered after they passed. Only this year did he take the unusual step of threatening legislation during the session.

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