July 25, 2000
Some of the most prominent names in Utah politics jumped into the fray today.
You might say the heat is now on over the high-level nuclear waste in Tooele County. They're vowing to mobilize public opinion against the storage of spent nuclear fuel on the tiny Skull Valley Goshute Indian Reservation.
But will that leave the Reservation out in the cold financially?
Environment Specialist John Hollenhorst has the story.
The tiny band of Goshute Indians hopes to get rich by doing business with the nation's nuclear utility companies. They've signed a lease, allowing the companies to build a storage facility for highly radioactive spent fuel rods from dozens of nuclear power plants.
But a new organization of powerful Utahns is gearing up for a fight against a venture they consider a deal with the devil.
JIM MCCONKIE/CITIZEN'S AGAINST RADIOACTIVE WASTE IN UTAH: "AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE NEVER ACCEPTED IN UTAH MATERIALS THAT TAKES 10,000 YEARS BEFORE THESE RODS BECOME SAFE."
The bi-partisan group includes former Governor Norm Bangerter, former senator Jake Garn, former Congressmen Wayne Owens, and numerous other state and local office holders who say Utah shouldn't be the dumping ground for other parts of the country.
JIM MCCONKIE/CITIZEN'S AGAINST RADIOACTIVE WASTE IN UTAH: "THE PEOPLE WHO USE THE ELECTRICITY OUGHT TO KEEP THE WASTE PRODUCTS."
JOHN HOLLENHORST REPORTING: "UTAH'S POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT HAS SUPPORTED MANY HAZARDOUS WASTE INDUSTRIES IN TOOELE COUNTY. SOME SAY THE GROWING OPPOSITION NOW IS HYPOCRITICAL AND REFLECTS PREJUDICE AGAINST AN INDIAN TRIBE."
To counter that impression, the new group promises to find ways of assisting the tribe financially.
JIM MCCONKIE/CITIZEN'S AGAINST RADIOACTIVE WASTE IN UTAH: "CUT THE INCENTIVE OUT, SO THE INDIAN TRIBES ARE NOT AS TEMPTED TO TAKE THE KIND OF MONEY THAT THE POWER PLANTS CAN THROW AT THIS SORT OF THING."
The new group enters the fight rather late. It started years ago, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to decide the issue in the next year or two. John Hollenhorst, Eyewitness News.
The group is urging Utahns to attend public hearings this week in Salt Lake City and Grantsville.
