Environment takes the stage

Gov. Olene Walker took office last week touting the importance of education to her administration. But it was a different "E" word — environment — that dominated the discussion Thursday during Walker's first KUED-TV press conference.

Nuclear waste, oil and gas drilling, even Legacy Highway were the main topics. But according to an official transcript of the news conference, the song Walker was singing sounded virtually identical to that of her former boss, Gov. Mike Leavitt.

Walker expressed firm opposition to hotter radioactive wastes coming to Utah, support of Legacy Highway and commitment to make Utah an outdoor recreation Mecca, even if it means opposing some oil and gas development.

"I think the question is, will the drilling (in pristine areas) affect the outdoor qualities in terms of recreation and enjoyment by the people?" she said when asked about drilling in the wild Book Cliffs area of eastern Utah. "There are some areas in the Book Cliffs where I don't think drilling would really be detrimental. But there are other areas, like Desolation Canyon, where I think it would."

And, she added, "If we have recommendations, I won't hesitate to make them."

Walker was referring to a letter she and Leavitt co-signed earlier this month to the Bureau of Land Management, asking they reconsider 15 oil and gas leases in the scenic White River area of northeastern Utah. That letter sparked concern among rural officials and a rebuttal letter from Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, who urged the BLM to reject the Walker-Leavitt letter.

On Thursday, Walker was taking the middle ground, saying natural resource development can be compatible with recreation, and she emphasized her concern for the economically depressed rural economies.

She also took issue with Shurtleff's interpretation of the letter, saying it was "purely a recommendation" that the BLM take a second look at 15 drilling sites. "We were just sending a letter of recommendation rather than a dictatorial letter. And I still think they ought to look at the 15.

"It doesn't hurt to take a second look when they're in an area like the White River corridor," she added.

In terms of radioactive waste, Walker was less equivocal. "I don't want any hotter-radioactivity nuclear waste brought to our state than we now accept. I don't think the public wants it, I'm concerned about the image of Utah," she said.

She said Utah has had a lot of experiences where residents were assured something was safe, only to find out it wasn't — like atomic testing.

"I feel they probably can figure out a way to make it safe (but) it will be very costly," she said. "But I don't want any hotter waste than we now accept, and I'm going to stand by it."

Walker said her biggest challenge will be the state budget and meeting state needs during a continued economic downturn. State employees haven't had a raise in three years, state health insurance programs for poor children are struggling and Walker still wants to beef up spending on education. And she said Thursday she will not propose any new tax increases.

"I realize this is an election year, and it's always tough to get tax increases in an election year," she said. "We'll have to look at all alternatives, so I won't guarantee there won't be some fee increases. . . . I will look at every resource that's available to us."

Unlike previous years where she worked with Leavitt to develop a budget, this year the hard choices will be hers to make and the "buck stops" with her. "It is a different feel when you realize the final decision is here."

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