The House Resources Committee on Wednesday approved a bill that seeks to block a nuclear waste dump on the Skull Valley Goshute Reservation in Utah and clarify use of an Air Force training range.

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) modified his bill in response to complaints from environmentalists, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Air Force. But the tribe still opposes it, according to The Deseret News.

Bishop added a provision to allow the tribe to have 640 acres of land placed in trust near a highway. The tribe is located on a remote reservation that is not conducive to economic activity.

Goshute chairman Leon Bear, who is under federal indictment for alleged theft of tribal funds, has signed a lease to store up to 40,000 tons of nuclear waste on the reservation. He says the dump is one of the few ways the tribe can make some sort of money.

The bill, as introduced, is H.R.2909.

Get the Story:
W. Utah wilds area gets a green light (The Deseret News 5/20)
New wilderness area gets committee's nod (The Salt Lake Tribune 5/20)

Relevant Links:
Skull Valley Goshute Tribe - http://www.skullvalleygoshutes.org

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