Ridiculous -- and Pathetic
Utah's legal challenges to storage of nuclear waste in Skull Valley aren't going too well.
Senator Orrin Hatch says, "what is involved here is to prevent (PFS) from stacking this stuff above ground where two private entities, one of which is a shell corporation (PFS) and the other a small Indian tribe with less than 125 people. That's ridiculous."
Ridiculous, indeed. Two years ago, it was obvious that Utah's legal challenges to Skull Valley were weak. At that time, I suggested Utah also look for other alternatives (such as, reprocessing, alternative siting, incentives to generator states to keep the material). One of the harshest and loudest critics of such an examination was Senator Hatch. Privately, I shared my concerns with the Senator -- that storage in Skull Valley threatened the State by transportation through and storage upwind of vital communities, lack of control, and perceived interference with Hill Air Force Base. I told Senator Hatch that I thought it was important to study alternatives in addition to the faltering litigation. He told me that the issue was too politically hot to study, and he assured me that he and the lawyers had things under control.
This is a huge deal to the State. Now, though, it looks like his idea of having things under control was to sell out our natural ally (Nevada) and refute the idea that the waste should be kept where it was generated and not be dumped on the West. For what? For the Secretary of Energy's commitment to not federally fund the Skull Valley project. That's a pretty crummy deal.
The shell corporation (PFS) is backed by major energy companies sitting on billions of dollars to fund the Skull Valley project. They don't need any federal money to complete the project, nor would they want the entanglements federal money would bring at this point. In other words, Senator Hatch hooked our wagon to a dead horse.
Now, he downplays the potential that the matter could turn into a battle of which state has the most clout. "I don't think it comes down to politics," he said. "I think it comes down to doing what's right." It always has been a matter of politics, and it always has been a matter of which state has the most political clout. And that's why Utah is doing so poorly on this one.
Senator Reid (who, I point out, is succeeding in bogging down and defunding the Yucca Mountain project) wisely is maneuvering to keep the waste at the generator sites. Senator Hatch should admit he was wrong and attach himself to Sen. Reid's clout.
UPDATE (3/18/05): Thanks to LaVarr and Utah Policy for the link. If readers are interested in this issue, check out my 2/5/05 entry. The Wald article cited in that entry is very informative -- and, for Utah, disturbing. What I think our delegation should do is (1) mend fences with Reid and work toward keeping the waste in place and, simultaneously, (2) work on the Secretary of Interior to reverse the Bureau of Indian Affairs' decision to allow the Goshute/PFS lease, and (3) work with the states who will squawk about the waste being kept in their states (the generator states), to rethink America's current policy of not reprocessing the nuclear fuel rods, like other nations do. If we reprocess the rods, the waste problem largely goes away, since 92% of the uranium in the rods is able to be reprocessed. As LaVarr mentions, now that Senator Hatch is up for election, and now that the politically expedient route of doing nothing (well, other than throwing a few lawyers at the thing) isn't going so well, I hope the Senator will muster the courage to work this issue like he should have been doing the last several years.
Senator Orrin Hatch says, "what is involved here is to prevent (PFS) from stacking this stuff above ground where two private entities, one of which is a shell corporation (PFS) and the other a small Indian tribe with less than 125 people. That's ridiculous."
Ridiculous, indeed. Two years ago, it was obvious that Utah's legal challenges to Skull Valley were weak. At that time, I suggested Utah also look for other alternatives (such as, reprocessing, alternative siting, incentives to generator states to keep the material). One of the harshest and loudest critics of such an examination was Senator Hatch. Privately, I shared my concerns with the Senator -- that storage in Skull Valley threatened the State by transportation through and storage upwind of vital communities, lack of control, and perceived interference with Hill Air Force Base. I told Senator Hatch that I thought it was important to study alternatives in addition to the faltering litigation. He told me that the issue was too politically hot to study, and he assured me that he and the lawyers had things under control.
This is a huge deal to the State. Now, though, it looks like his idea of having things under control was to sell out our natural ally (Nevada) and refute the idea that the waste should be kept where it was generated and not be dumped on the West. For what? For the Secretary of Energy's commitment to not federally fund the Skull Valley project. That's a pretty crummy deal.
The shell corporation (PFS) is backed by major energy companies sitting on billions of dollars to fund the Skull Valley project. They don't need any federal money to complete the project, nor would they want the entanglements federal money would bring at this point. In other words, Senator Hatch hooked our wagon to a dead horse.
Now, he downplays the potential that the matter could turn into a battle of which state has the most clout. "I don't think it comes down to politics," he said. "I think it comes down to doing what's right." It always has been a matter of politics, and it always has been a matter of which state has the most political clout. And that's why Utah is doing so poorly on this one.
Senator Reid (who, I point out, is succeeding in bogging down and defunding the Yucca Mountain project) wisely is maneuvering to keep the waste at the generator sites. Senator Hatch should admit he was wrong and attach himself to Sen. Reid's clout.
UPDATE (3/18/05): Thanks to LaVarr and Utah Policy for the link. If readers are interested in this issue, check out my 2/5/05 entry. The Wald article cited in that entry is very informative -- and, for Utah, disturbing. What I think our delegation should do is (1) mend fences with Reid and work toward keeping the waste in place and, simultaneously, (2) work on the Secretary of Interior to reverse the Bureau of Indian Affairs' decision to allow the Goshute/PFS lease, and (3) work with the states who will squawk about the waste being kept in their states (the generator states), to rethink America's current policy of not reprocessing the nuclear fuel rods, like other nations do. If we reprocess the rods, the waste problem largely goes away, since 92% of the uranium in the rods is able to be reprocessed. As LaVarr mentions, now that Senator Hatch is up for election, and now that the politically expedient route of doing nothing (well, other than throwing a few lawyers at the thing) isn't going so well, I hope the Senator will muster the courage to work this issue like he should have been doing the last several years.
posted by steve u. at 3/17/2005
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9 Comments:
Hindsight is an easy thing to understand, then again, so is foresight. It seems Senator Hatch did/does not understand this when he pushed/continues to push the Yucca Mountain site. It is appalling that Senator Hatch was so narrow minded to consciously not even consider any other possible options, other than Yucca Mountain. Senator Hatch is so worried about avoiding a political hotspot to actually do “what is right.” It is plain to see that this has become a battle of political clout and that due to Senator Hatch’s lackluster performance (and I am not speaking of his music CD) Utah is losing the battle. A Shell Corporation and 125 Indians are kicking his butt.
For those who watched American Idol this last week Simon the notorious said to one particularly bad contestant “Your confidence exceeded your ability.” I would like to offer up the same critique to Senator Hatch. Luckily, we can vote Senator Hatch off this show too!
Steve, I think it is difficult to understand the situation because you are too soft on Senator Hatch (and former Governor Leavitt).
At the time when it was possible to act with forethought and intelligence regarding the possibility, or threat of nuclear waste storage, such actions were apparently too politically hot. Hatch and Leavitt were busy building up short-term political capital by being close-minded, and rather than seeking out "alternatives in addition to the faltering litigation" spent their time assuring us that plan A was in good hands, and the nuclear waste would be stored in Utah "over my dead body!"
So perhaps Hatch is dead, or the political clout he has is lifeless. I hope not. The lessons here are compelling: Lesson 1: unpopular alternatives should be considered, especially when dealing with parties that don't simply acquiesce to political fiat. Such consideration demonstrates open-mindedness and a grounding in reality. Such considerations don't mean that efforts to promote and secure Plan A (keeping nuclear waste out of the state) don't take priority.
Lesson 2: The phrase "over my dead body!" (like its sister phrase "read my lips: no new taxes!") should be used only after careful deliberation, and when the user has the political wherewithal to stand behind it.
Lesson 3: Solid political thinking wins out over time.
I just don't understand why Senator Hatch, who may have served Utah well in the past, would want to shy away from something so important because it is "politically hot". Is he waiting for it to cool down? Perhaps while he is waiting, we could take this time to look for a senator who is more concerned for Utah's health, environment and future, than his political career.
As I have attended Hatch's political speeches over the years, I have heard him take credit for a thousand different things. In fact, so many of his self-proclaimed accomplishments have been so far-fetched that I wouldn't be surprised to hear him say, "without Orrin, the very world itself wouldn't have been created . . ." The pitfall with constantly usurping the thunder of others is . . . you also get the credit even when the news is bad. BAD NEWS SENATOR, you blew this one. I'm sure the good Senator would find my comments unconscionable as I question his political prowess. I'm sorry, I'm just tired of this political phony. It's time we elect someone in that seat who remembers Utah.
I don't consider myself a Hatch-basher. I have trusted that his tenured position was a great asset for Utah. I mentioned that I hope his political clout isn't lifeless. With all respect to Salem, I can't even deride his music. And noone would argue that he hasn't helped Utah's prestige with the federal government.
So maybe I can pose my hope as a question: With regard to Utah, is Hatch dead? Is his political clout lifeless? Are there other indications besides this nuclear waste flub-up showing that he a) consistently avoids political hot-spots rather than fighting and deliberating in the interest of Utah, b) has lost concern for Utah, c) has lost political influence to move things in favor of the state he represents, or d) in other ways is just not the politician he once was?
I really am interested what you have to say about other indications Steve, or any of the commenters. This story is a powerful anecdote, but is there a case here? Hatch's campaign has for a long time been that we trust him because he has great influence in Washington for the good of Utah. Well, does he?
Today's Senator Hatch, while quite respectable, is a very different senator than the Senator Hatch I greeted on the steps of the Capitol in 1978 when I was a visiting Washington D.C. as a Boy Scout from Utah. Most of his 1976 campaign issues against Frank Moss now apply quite fittingly to him.
I gladly honor the good senator's many contributions to the state and the country, but the value of his tenure steadily diminishes as he changes. He frequently avoids battles that are important to many of his constituents, and he often spends political capital in arenas that leave me wondering why I voted for him in 2000.
We have many worthwhile people that could serve well in the U.S. Senate. Senator Hatch has had a full career there. It's time to let someone else serve our state and start the process of building political clout in this position.
Reach Upward (or anyone else):
Can you specify the battles Senator Hatch avoids, and the questionable arenas he spends political capital on? I think these can help make a case that the value of his tenure has diminished.
To claim that the value of a long tenure has diminished is a bold claim. The value of a tenure is almost by definition that it is long, and so offers seniority and a place at the policy table for a (our) representative. That said, of course "tenured" is not synonymous with "effective". But two senators, all else equal, the more tenured the better.
So to avoid generic campaign slogans that an opponent of Hatch might use (like "He has just lost touch with Utah" , "He isn't the senator he once was" etc.) can someone make a case? If he has made a habit of ill-advised actions or assurances, or if in other ways there is a case that he is not executing the office as well as we and others can rightly expect, then what is that case? And if it is compelling, then we should vote him out. But if not, I still hold that tenure has prima facie value.
Oh, where to begin? Let me first say that I like Senator Hatch. I have voted for him in each of his elections where I have been old enough to vote. His voting record (http://www.vote-smart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=S0880103) is relatively representative of the ideals of the majority of Utahans. Ratings by interest groups (http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=S0880103) reflect fairly high marks from conservative organizations and abysmal marks from liberal organizations. That’s still in line with the majority in Utah.
However, where does the Senator spend his political capital? He obviously spends it very wisely at times. But other times he squanders it by lobbying for and supporting issues that are either unimportant to or against the wishes of most Utahans. Sometimes he fails to spend adequate political capital where I think he could better serve Utah interests. Let’s look at how the good senator spent some of his political capital during 2004-2005.
Wasted Effort
-Copyright Act extremism (Destroy computers of music downloaders? Come on!)
-Constitutional amendment to prohibit flag desecration (Good cause, but inappropriate vehicle)
-Constitutional amendment to allow foreign-born presidents
-Receiving money from tobacco companies
-Support of embryonic stem cell research (see http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/smith200405130858.asp)
Inadequate Effort
-Judicial reform – he has squandered his time in the Judiciary Committee with the federal judicial system growing much worse, not better
-The sacrifice of staffer Manuel Miranda in Memogate instead of focusing on the content of the memos
-Failure to make progress on stopping nuclear waste from coming to Utah
Sure, it’s easy to pick nits. I’m not implying that Senator Hatch is a horrible senator, but at times he has failed us and has wasted good effort on less-than-worthy causes. Unfortunately it seems that for almost every federal politician, the longer one breathes the rarified air inside of the D.C. beltway, the more one comes to resemble the elites that inhabit that fishbowl.
Term limits are not the answer to every problem. Indeed, term limits introduce new problems. But surely 30 years is long enough. While tenure is highly valuable in the Senate, it is inevitable that each senator’s distinguished career will conclude, so hanging onto a politician for the sake of tenure is only temporary. Tenure is also not necessarily the most important characteristic to voters.
Senator Hatch’s support in Utah is strong, but he’s not invulnerable. I would like to see at least one viable alternative, but I don’t know if I will get my wish.
Is this post about Senator Hatch or Yucca Mountain? If it is about Senator Hatch his greatest days are behind him. You know, the days where he composed beautiful songs like "I am happy" and "Where the Marble Gardens Grow". If this is a Yucca Mountain/Goshute discussion I think we can all agree we have seen what can happen when we take on other people's garbage. We saw what can happen on the Simpsons episode entitled "Trash of the Titans" where Homer is voted Sanitation Commissoner and in order to meet budget constraints agrees to accept garbage from other cities. Long story short they ended up moving the entire town somewhere else. Let's learn from Homer and not allow garbage in our neighborhood.
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