Fair trade? No. I'd still rather keep the stuff out, but at least we'd get something in return.

These suggestions are all very heretical, directly contrary to the strategy of the political establishment. But if a few years from now we get spent nuclear fuel rods slapped on a slab of concrete next to a bombing range, upwind of the Wasatch Front, and we get absolutely nothing in return, then politicians Huntsman, Hatch, Bennett, Bishop, Matheson and Cannon ought to be ridden out of town on a rail right behind me.

Pignanelli: What ever mind-altering substance LaVarr is consuming is certainly potent -- it has destroyed the remnants of his common sense. Our state leaders must fight on every front — the courts, Congress and the media — to prevent the dumping of nuclear waste in Utah. We may lose certain battles, but the war must continue so our opponents eventually choose another method of disposal. To simply surrender and accept the nation's poison with a smile, in exchange for monetary compensation, is a recipe for disaster.

No incentive will exist to develop safer means of containing radioactive and toxic byproducts where they were generated. Over time, our beloved state will become addicted on these garbage fees and not expand into other economic activities. National companies will perceive Utah the best locale for their trash, not their operations. "America's Latrine" is not a sound basis for our economy.

Congressman Jim Matheson was the first to lock arms with other Western congressional leaders to prevent the disposal at Yucca Mountain. With his usual clarity of thought, Matheson knew that Utah is a loser in the Yucca option because the waste will travel through or end up here anyway. (Remember, Utah and Nevada do not have nuclear power plants. Our fellow Americans are happy to share the remnants of their cheap electricity with us.) Gubernatorial candidate Jon Huntsman Jr. concurred with this approach, and other Utah politicians are now working with their Nevada compatriots to prevent the discarding of hot radioactive waste in this region. The recent announcement by Sen. Bob Bennett to reverse his prior stance of supporting the Yucca site is a huge development. Bennett is a respected political insider, and this change is a clear sign of a wrongheaded federal policy in trouble.