Veto EnergySolutions bill
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f Gov. Huntsman does not veto Senate Bill 155 by midnight, EnergySolutions -- formerly Envirocare -- will have only to satisfy anonymous bureaucrats if it wants to accept more radioactive waste at its Tooele County facility.
As we have said before in this space, we believe current law is best left intact.
That's because it requires the consent of both the Legislature and the governor to significantly expand the amount of radioactive material that may be dumped in Utah.
SB 155's "General Description" explains it succinctly: "This bill exempts certain radioactive waste disposal facilities from certain approval and siting requirements."
If that's not enough to get your attention, how about this text from the bill's so-called "Highlighted Provisions": "This bill exempts a radioactive waste disposal facility ... from local government planning and zoning approval, legislative and gubernatorial approval, and certain siting requirements; and exempts an amendment to or renewal of a radioactive waste disposal facility license ... from local government planning and zoning approval, legislative and gubernatorial approval, and certain siting requirements unless the amendment or renewal would authorize waste disposal at a different geographic location."
Why do we favor legislative and gubernatorial oversight? And local government planning and zoning approval? Because politicians are subject to the will of the people -- in theory, at least. (Although the Legislature's repeated inclination to do EnergySolutions' bidding does make us wonder why voters don't hold their legislators accountable.) Bureaucrats with the state's Department of Environmental Quality and the Division of Radiation Control are not directly answerable to the people.
Please, governor, veto this bill.
