(UNEDITED)Utah State Senator Christensen (R-North Ogden) is noticeably passionate about keeping wolves out of Utah. His Senate bill 36 entitled Wolf Management sailed through the Senate, is now in the House, and appears to be on fast track for passing.
How sweet it would be if Senator Christensen, or any state legislator, had just a smidgin of passion to keep foreign radioactive waste out of Utah.
Legislation has passed in the US House of Representatives (HB515) and is now in the US Senate that prohibits the importation of foreign low-level radioactive waste into the United States. Senators Hatch and Bennett have taken no action to pass the legislation. The Utah Legislature, if it can muster some passion on something besides wolves and other message legislation, could pass a resolution directed to Senators Hatch and Bennett asking them to support HB515 and keep foreign waste out of Utah.
Energy Solution has announced that the agreement between the company and Governor Huntsman to not expand its dump is null and void. I guess that means Energy Solutions will do whatever it takes to make the sky the limit for low-level radioactive waste disposal in Utah.
Media reports indicate that Utahns by a considerable majority do not want foreign radioactive waste in Utah. The null and void announcement by Energy Solutions brought a weak response from Governor Herbert's office and no response from the leaders of the Utah Legislature, Senators Hatch or Bennett or Representative Bishop.
For me, radioactive waste in Utah is a not in my back yard thing. I do not want my grand children to have to live with the worldwide reputation that Utah is the world capital for low-level radioactive waste disposal. My grand children are going to have enough problems to deal with without having to deal with a mountain of radioactive waste. I think that next November when we make decisions on which candidates to vote for, we have to factor into that decision the degree of passion the incumbent candidate has exhibited and acted upon to limit radioactive waste disposal in Utah.
Don Pincock
South Ogden
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