"While few people outside Utah were paying close attention last week, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission authorized the licensing of a private storage plant for spent nuclear fuel rods on an Indian reservation some 50 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. Utah's outraged political leaders pledged to use every legal and political trick available to block the project even though, as representatives of a very conservative state, they supposedly abhor bureaucratic or judicial interference with private corporate decisions. Their contention - that the storage site, backed by a consortium of eight utilities, would pose a safety hazard - seems overblown. If the project should clear all of the remaining regulatory, legal and commercial hurdles, it could provide a useful interim storage site while the nation seeks a more permanent burial site deep underground.

The question of whether Utah is the best place for such a site has never been addressed. Private Fuel Storage, a company set up by the utilities, simply negotiated a deal with a small, poor Indian tribe, the Skull Valley Goshutes, for an undisclosed but presumably substantial amount of money. The site seems safe enough. The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission - both charged with protecting the public from nuclear hazards - approved the project after an exhaustive eight-year process.

We remain hopeful that Yucca can qualify as a permanent disposal site. But if Yucca fails to pass muster with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the nation will need a centralized surface site to fill the gap until a safe burial location can be found. The Indian reservation in Utah can fill that purpose."

Get the Story:
Editorial: The Nuclear Waste Site in Utah (The New York Times 9/16)
pwnyt

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Statement:
NRC DENIES UTAH�S FINAL APPEALS, AUTHORIZES STAFF TO ISSUE LICENSE FOR PFS FACILITY (September 9, 2005)

Utah Letter to Norton:
UTAH DELEGATION URGES INTERIOR TO BLOCK SKULL VALLEY SITE (September 9, 2005)

Relevant Links:
Skull Valley Goshute Tribe - http://www.skullvalleygoshutes.org
Private Fuel Storage - http://www.privatefuelstorage.com

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