A proposed nuclear waste repository on the Skull Valley Goshute Reservation in Utah is described by backers as temporary but a federal official is indicating that might not be the case.

Under federal law, the government must accept nuclear waste. The Department of Energy approved Yucca Mountain in Nevada as the permanent repository for the waste.

But the waste cannot be "rehandled." Since plans for the Skull Valley dump involve rehandling of waste, Yucca Mountain cannot accept it, according to a DOE official.

The tribe's chairman, Leon Bear, signed a lease to store up to 44,000 tons of waste on the reservation. The waste is only supposed to stay there for 20 years.

Get the Story:
Goshutes' waste plan hits a snag (The Salt Lake Tribune 10/15)
Utah leader says state could be stuck with nuclear waste (AP 10/15)

Relevant Links:
Skull Valley Goshute Tribe - http://www.skullvalleygoshutes.org
Private Fuel Storage - http://www.privatefuelstorage.com

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