Hatch, Huntsman: Utahns Can Help Fight Nuke Dump

HATCH, HUNTSMAN: UTAHNS CAN HELP FIGHT NUKE DUMP

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. today announced the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has formally re-opened public comment on granting rights of way through public lands that Private Fuel Storage (PFS) needs to transport up to 44,000 metric tons of high-level nuclear waste to a proposed storage site at Skull Valley, Utah. Today, citizens can begin to send their comments to the BLM expressing their views on this aspect of the PFS proposal.

The viability of the Skull Valley plan rests on the BLM's approval of either a rail spur across BLM land to Skull Valley or an intermodal transfer facility on BLM land to transfer the spent fuel to trucks which would transport the casks of spent fuel to the site along existing roads.

"We urge everyone in Utah to contact the BLM and make the case that transporting waste to this site is not in the public's interest," Hatch said. "Every viable transportation option for PFS requires the Administration's approval, and the BLM is making it very clear that its decision will be based on whether these options are in the public's interest. The BLM has put this decision in the hands of Utahns and other concerned citizens, and it's crucial that we make our voices heard."

"Utahns have repeatedly expressed concerns about the dangers of transporting and storing high-level nuclear waste in Skull Valley," Hunstman said. "Off-loading high-level nuclear waste on a railsiding adjacent to Interstate 80, the principal east-west transportation corridor in the West for commerce and the public makes absolutely no sense. The citizens and businesses that depend on this highway must speak out in opposition to the PFS proposals."

http://hatch.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=1525&Month=2&Year=2006