[ RadSafe ] Private Fuel Storage

[Blaine Howard]

RadSafers:
  I don't know if the small community in Utah Jerry Cohen mentioned was the Goshute Indians effort to let Private Fuel Storage build a temporary storage site for spent nuclear fuel on their reservation.
Their efforts and PFS efforts were challenged by all the political forces which the Governor of Utah could muster.  The battle raged for several years.  A license was issued by NRC for the project and the opposition re-intensified their efforts and everything legal or illegal was tried.  They finally got the BLM to deny them access across their land and they couldn't complete the project.  The anti-nukes finally achieved their goal of stopping the project.
  I remember when the Goshutes made their offer to allow the repository to be built on their land, I cheered to see that finally someone had the guts to go against the trend of "not in my backyard".
  As a Utahn, I am ashamed of their vigorous opposition.  It was made up of a lot of false information.  I wrote a letter to Governor Leavitt to let him know he has bad advice--with not response (not even an acknowledgment that he received  my letter.)  I wrote letters to the editor and tried everything I could think of to put some  common sense into the controversy but to no avail.
  Currently, I am trying to get some time with the Utah Radiation Control Board to give them some basic training in radiation and its biological effects.  The board is made up of members from various backgrounds.  The Executive Secretary of the Board has been working with me to see if we can conduct such training.  If it works, Utah will have a Board that is not completely ignorant of these facts.
  It would be wonderful if we could get more true experts in this field to push for similar goals.  
  This is a challenge. I am throwing down the gauntlet.  Please help me!
The antidote for radiophobia is education.  Let knowledge replace ignorance.

Sincerely,
Blaine N. Howard