From the Office of Utah Congressman Jim Matheson
MATHESON NEWS
Second Congressional District
For Further Information
Alyson Heyrend: (801) 455-5593 (cell)
www.house.gov/matheson
April 11, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Matheson Urges Precise Public Comments
Notes BLM Rules About Right-of-Way Approval
Salt Lake City, UT-Congressman Jim Matheson is reminding Utahns that they have until May 8, 2006 to send comments to the Bureau of Land Management about why a proposal to transport high level nuclear waste to Utah's west desert should appropriately be blocked.
Matheson said that the only way Private Fuel Storage can move high level nuclear waste casks to the Goshute Indian Reservation in Tooele County is to obtain rights-of-way over public lands from the BLM. PFS has applied to BLM to use two pieces of federal land-one for a rail spur, and one for a transfer station at Rowley Junction to move casks from trucks to rail cars-in order to ship 44,000 metric tons of waste for storage in Utah.
"In order to stop this, we have to fight it at every turn. This BLM comment period is the latest point of attack," said Matheson.
Matheson said the recently-enacted Cedar Mountain Wilderness Area prohibits BLM from granting PFS a right-of-way for the rail corridor. In urging BLM to deny the right-of-way to build the transfer station, Matheson said comments should address:
- The BLM's current Pony Express Resource Management Plan and why it should not be amended to include the right-of-way grant;
- Whether PFS has demonstrated there is private marketplace economic backing for its facility;
- The lack of need for off-site storage and whether tying up public lands for 50 years to allow PFS to conduct an unnecessary and hazardous activity is a beneficial use of public lands;
- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's non-regulation of the intermodal facility as a storage site, with no requirement for a funding plan to clean up or decommission its use.
"It is these factors that BLM must consider before granting the right-of-way application. Utahns have to make a specific case in order for us to put yet another roadblock in the way of this dangerous and wrong-headed proposal," said Matheson
Matheson said comments may be emailed to the following address: pam_schuller@blm.gov They may also be mailed to Pam Schuller, BLM Salt Lake Field Office, 2370 So. 2300 West, Salt Lake City UT 84119
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Alyson Heyrend
Communications Director
240 East Morris Ave. #235
South Salt Lake, UT 84115
(801) 486-1236 (phone)
(801) 455-5593 (cell)
(801) 486-1417 (fax)