Demo targets nuclear testing

Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, admits he's a "one-trick pony" this year — nuclear testing remains his No. 1 issue.

"I speak about this wherever I go," he said.

His latest discussion on the subject was at a Salt Lake "Town Meeting" Thursday night in the Student Union at the University of Utah, where some 70 people listened to his concerns and asked questions.

He hosted a similar town meeting one month ago in St. George. Also on Wednesday, he spoke to students at Murray High School and to some senior citizens in Murray on nuclear testing. He hopes to have more such meetings in the future.

Matheson, 43, whose father — former Gov. Scott Matheson — died at age 61 from a radioactive-fallout generated cancer, has consistently opposed plans to develop and fund a new generation of nuclear weapons.

Last month, he introduced the "Safety for Americans from Nuclear Weapons Testing Act" (HR 3921), which would require the federal government to conduct an environmental review to assess health and safety aspects before resuming any nuclear weapons tests.

Matheson said his bill centers on one word: accountability.

"The goal now is to increase awareness," he said, explaining that even some St. George businesses, who don't care for his politics, recently passed a resolution supporting his bill. "I'm going to pursue every way I can figure out."

Utah's senators and other representatives have not weighed in on the issue yet, according to Matheson. However, he said he knows it takes a long time to get such a bill through Congress — especially one like this that is assigned to three House committees.

A push by the military to develop new types of nuclear weapons — including ones that could penetrate deep bunkers — is behind his bill.

This act also requires Congress to authorize any future nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site, requires government and independent monitoring of radiation releases and provides funding to further study health effects from nuclear fallout.

Atomic testing in Nevada is believed to have put thousands of Utah families — especially those in the southern part of the state — at risk. "Downwinders" is a group that is also opposed to such testing.

There could have been more than 2,200 nuclear tests — one every eight days — during a 47-year period that ended in 1992. Up to 500 may have been open-air explosions. Even the United Kingdom tested its nuclear weapons at the Nevada Test Range. Matheson's bill would stop nuclear testing anywhere in the U.S. — even Alaska.

More information on Matheson's bill is available on his Web site: www.house.gov/matheson

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E-mail: lynn@desnews.com