
"Tonight I begin by discussing an issue of great importance to the health, safety and
quality of life of our citizens. Our state faces the threat of becoming the nation's
dumping ground for high level nuclear waste, and I want to stop it from happening.
Utahns don't generate nuclear power. We don't consume nuclear power. Yet, incredibly,
our state is being seriously considered as a storage site for more than 200,000 rods of
spent nuclear waste. Nearly a dozen major utilities -- most of them on the east coast --
need a place to dump high level nuclear waste, which is a byproduct of the power they
generate. Their ratepayers don't like storing something so dangerous in their back yards,
so the companies are willing to pay a very high price to move it to someone else's back
yard -- ours. Some of Utah's Goshute Indians propose building concrete containers and
storing nuclear waste from all over the country in the Utah desert, 40 miles west of the
Wasatch Front. We're not talking about a little bit of nuclear waste; it's a lot. In fact,
this would be a nuclear dumping ground ten times the size of any facility of this type
anywhere in the entire United States. Goshutes don't all agree, but those who want to
bring nuclear waste to Utah think it will generate jobs and money. I respect their desire
to improve their quality of life, but I respectfully disagree with this way of doing it.
Building the biggest nuclear waste graveyard in the country isn't a good quality of life
decision for anyone in Utah. Advocates of nuclear waste in Utah argue that our state
would only be a temporary storage site; they argue that the risks are minimal; they say
they can safely transport it by train and truck to the reservation. They say the cement
containers won't break, and that there won't be leaks, so no one's life will be endangered.
But these are all hopes, not guarantees. The fact is, when it comes to nuclear waste there
are no guarantees. The nuclear waste they want to send to Utah doesn't last one year or
20 years, or 100 years; it remains lethally radioactive for 10,000 years. The fact is, if
nuclear waste comes to Utah, chances are it won't get moved again. The fact is, train and
truck accidents do happen, containers do break, and human lives could well be at risk.
This is a legacy of risk we do not want to leave our children and their children. Tonight, I
reiterate my strong opposition to Utah becoming the dumping ground for high level
nuclear waste. I have stood up to oppose it before, and I do it again tonight. Our strategy
for keeping nuclear waste out of the Utah desert is multi-pronged:
In summary, let me say again that we don't want it here. Those who want to bring nuclear waste here say it's safe. I say, if it's so safe why not just keep it where it is. If it worked for the last 15 years maybe we ought to just leave it where it is.
Rolled up his sleeves and declared, "Let's get to work." This came during ceremonies where Wasatch Constructors was given notice to proceed on the massive I-15 reconstruction project. "For more than 30 years this major interstate has made Utah the crossroads of the West. But like anything else, it wears out," the governor said. "It's time for all the talk to stop and it's time for the work to begin!" Leavitt was joined at the event by acting Federal Highway Administrator Jane Garvey, Utah Department of Transportation Executive Director Tom Warne, legislators, local leaders and representatives of Wasatch Constructors. Garvey praised Utah for being on the forefront of innovation in highway construction and for setting a standard by using the design/build method for this project. Ellis Armstrong, who helped design the original I-15 project and was Utah's first director of highways, was also on hand for the ceremony.
David Gardner, former University of Utah president and former head of the University of
California system, also attended the meeting as a new member of the board of trustees
representing Utah. Commenting on his appointment, Governor Leavitt said, "David
brings outstanding knowledge and wisdom to the board from his years of service in
higher education. He is well respected and will be a great asset to the university."
In other major WGU developments announced at the meeting, Sun Microsystems has made a substantial grant to the WGU and, Barbara Gordon, vice president of academic and research computing for Sun Microsystems, Inc., will join the national advisory board for WGU. Also, four major accrediting commissions that operate in the western regional have agreed to create a joint body called the Inter-Regional Accrediting Committee to act on their behalf in the review and accreditation WGU. "This important action by the accrediting commissions makes WGU the model for developing standards and policies for other distant education efforts across the country," the governor said.