But now, as Yucca's political and scientific problems mount, Bennett, at least, appears to be hedging his bet.

He indicated in an interview last week that he might entertain the option of leaving the waste at the reactors that produced it - a step away from the White House and toward closing a divide between the senators and other Utah politicians.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has come out squarely against Yucca and in support of leaving the highly radioactive nuclear material on site at the reactors. Two of the three U.S. House members from Utah have said they oppose Yucca, and Rep. Chris Cannon, who voted to send the waste to Nevada, has changed his stand. And an increasingly vocal cadre of state lawmakers has joined the chorus.

They agree that building Yucca Mountain would not kill the proposal by Private Fuel Storage (PFS), a consortium of electric companies, to "temporarily" store 44,000 tons of spent nuclear rods on Utah's Skull Valley Goshute Indian reservation and would, in the best case scenario, mean thousands of tons of waste would be shipped through the state.

"Now people are starting to focus on the fact that, well wait, Yucca Mountain is also a sorry idea. Why haven't we been thinking of something else?" asked state Rep. Steve Urquhart. The St. George Republican says the "straight to Yucca" strategy is driven more by politics than reality, and he predicts a change.

"On this one, Hatch is the weather vane and if the political winds are changing, he'll turn," Urquhart said. Hatch is up for re-election next year.

The drive toward Yucca Mountain suffered a serious setback last month when it was revealed U.S. Geological Survey scientists may have falsified documents on the suitability of the site. The FBI has launched a criminal investigation, according to The Associated Press.

With Yucca Mountain already well over budget and years behind schedule, opponents hope the latest episode dooms the project. A House Government Reform subcommittee will hold a hearing Tuesday on Yucca's safety and viability.

Cannon, who voted in 2002 to build Yucca Mountain, now says much has changed and storing the waste at the reactors offers a safe, practical alternative. Continuing the Yucca push could actually make it more likely the fuel would end up in Utah and stay longer, he says.

"The more distant [Yucca] appears, the more likely that we will get temporary storage in Utah," he said. "So either we have to have assurances that Yucca is going to work, or we have to be thinking, 'What else are we going to do with it?' "

Bennett and Hatch also voted for Yucca in 2002, based on an assurance from the White House that it would make the PFS site unnecessary. They reiterated their support after another meeting with the White House last month.

"It's what has to be done under the circumstances and we're going to do everything to help them get there," Hatch said. He remains committed to Yucca Mountain, a spokesman says, but Bennett said Thursday that he could reconsider.

"My previous support of Yucca has never been based on the science because the science says to me leave it where it is, but the politics take that off the table," Bennett said. "I am perfectly willing to consider other alternatives if they are politically viable."

The politics are prickly. Not only does the nuclear industry and Bush administration back Yucca, but congressional delegations from Eastern, urban areas that rely on nuclear power support it.

Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., chairman of the Senate Energy Committee and the subcommittee that sets the budget for energy programs, is concerned about the delays and cost of the project, but he remains committed to building the repository and is not considering other options, said his spokeswoman Marnie Funk.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who has spent years trying to kill Yucca, will introduce legislation this month that would allow the federal government to assume responsibility for the waste and store it in casks near the reactor sites. He was scheduled to meet privately with Huntsman in Salt Lake City on Saturday and was expected to discuss the issue.

"If we have a Yucca Mountain ultimately, well, 90 percent of that garbage is going to go right through our state, and if I don't stand up and try to protect what I think are the best interests of this state, then I'm not adequately and properly serving my constituents," Huntsman said in a news conference last week.

The nuclear industry and companies backing the Private Fuel Storage facility say Reid's idea is flawed and would not solve the storage and security problems many reactors are facing.

Time may be running out to stop the Goshute facility. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a hearing Tuesday on Utah's challenge to the PFS license. If the NRC grants the license, the state can challenge it in court. The Interior secretary could also stop the facility by vetoing the lease between PFS and the tribe or preventing a rail line across federal land to the reservation.