The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear the state of Utah's attempt to prevent the Skull Valley Band of Goshutes from opening a nuclear waste dump on tribal land.

The state passed laws in an attempt to legalize the transport of nuclear waste in the state. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals later ruled the laws were unconstitutional. The state appealed but the Supreme Court, without comment, denied the petition.

State officials, and some tribal members, have long opposed the waste facility. They say it will pose an environmental and safety hazard. But the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has rejected those arguments and agreed to issue a license for the repository.

The state is now lobbying Congress to prohibit rail access to the proposed site. The state also hopes to convince Interior Secretary Gale Norton not to allow the project to move forward.

Get the Story:
Utah nuke case gets dumped by court (The Salt Lake Tribune 12/6)

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

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