From Deseret News archives:

The end to a long struggle

Published: Monday, Sept. 11, 2006 12:50 p.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
The governor calls it the "period at the end of the sentence." Rep. Rob Bishop calls it all but the last nail in the coffin.

Indeed, two decisions last week — one by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the other by the Bureau of Land Management — seem to put an end, at long last, to the notion that high-level nuclear waste will be stored indefinitely in Utah's west desert. We will feel better, however, when Private Fuel Storage, the consortium seeking to put the waste there, surrenders fully and unconditionally. That may not happen until it gives up its license to store waste.

At the moment, however, PFS has no lease to use Goshute tribal lands, and it has no viable way to transport the waste to those lands. That would seem to make the waste site impossible.

Story continues below
A lot of people deserve credit for this victory, which once seemed hopelessly out of grasp. Former Govs. Mike Leavitt and Olene Walker, as well as current Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., all were relentless in their opposition. So, too, has been the state's congressional delegation, both Republican and Democrat. A lot of creative thinking went into the fight. Areas near the site were declared protected wilderness. Special taxes on nuclear waste transport were considered. At one time, conservative Utahns even swallowed hard and welcomed the idea that Ralph Nader and his supporters would block the site with spirited protests.

None of these would have been as decisive or clean as the bureaucratic edicts handed down last week. The Bureau of Indian Affairs voided PFS's lease, noting correctly that the waste site, once established, might never relinquish its load to a permanent repository. The Bureau of Land Management said the wilderness designation voided any possible rail lines and that transfer stations for nuclear waste would not be in harmony with good federal lands management.

Utahns may indeed breathe a sigh of relief. They can't let up their guard, however. Too many people in other parts of the nation still would like to use Utah's fragile deserts to store hazardous wastes, and the federal government has yet to abandon its plans for a permanent repository in Nevada, which would require constant shipments through Utah.

They also should recognize that the Goshutes pursued this path in part because there are few other available options for making the tribe financially sound. The state would do well to explore ways to help its native cultures prosper.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

previousnext

Latest comments

This was the biggest game in th econference this year. It wasn't available to...

TCU 55, Utah 28

I hand it to Utah for playing tough against a very good TCU team. Simple,...

Letters: Sodom and Gomorrah

For employment of for renting since they are private property landlords and...

Letters: Utah not all rosy

Do you have any friends now? some people adapt diffrently to diffrent...

RSL heads to MLS title game

If this victory were worthy of being talked about on sports radio it would be...

Wow. Congrats to both teams.

Bennett at center of GOP storm

In his time as Senator, I have not seen him lead out on anything. Utah should...

Letters: Sodom and Gomorrah

Ezekiel 16:48-50 Explains that the sins of Sodom were that "She and her...

1A championship: Rich undefeated

Congratulations Rebels on a great season your truly a team in every sense of...

TCU creams U.

These comments are stupid. Utah haters, BYU haters they are all alike. A...

Advertisements
Advertisement