Don't dawdle with tailings

You've heard the old joke about how one of life's worst nightmares is to hear someone say, "I'm from the federal government, and I'm here to help you."

To the folks in Moab, it's no joke.

Less than two years ago, the Department of Energy announced it had agreed to remove about 16 million tons of radioactive waste left over from uranium milling that took place between 1956 and 1984 and that the project would begin in 2007 and take seven years to 10 years. But now the department says it will take until 2028, instead.

Utah Rep. Jim Matheson said last week he is shocked and he wants answers. We share his concern.

The decision to move the tailings was made because DOE research found that the tailings have already begun to leach between the waste pile and the Matheson Preserve, which is located across the Colorado River. The river, in other words, is not acting as a barrier to the contaminants, and that could be bad news indeed. Even Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman has been quoted as saying the river is "the lifeblood of the Southwest."

Now, however, he seems content to allow a threat to this river to remain for another 20 years.

University of Utah researchers have determined, through carbon dating, that two large floods have ripped through the Moab area in the last 1,000 years. Should such a flood hit the tailings pile, the results could be devastating.

All of this would seem to argue for a prompt removal. Instead, the government now says it has other priorities that deserve much of the funding this would require.

The cleanup is indeed expensive. Estimates two years ago were that it would take up to $400 million. More recent estimates are of at least $500 million. The removal will require an ongoing commitment from the federal government.

Government officials are arguing that the public is better served by a deliberate and thorough process. But that sounds a lot like bureaucratic nonsense. Matheson wants to know why the initial contract calls for removing only 2.5 million tons of waste over five years, rather than the whole pile. That's a good question.

To get the DOE to decide in favor of moving the waste took a strong lobbying effort by Utah's congressional delegation and other interested parties. Apparently, that work has to continue.