A National Academy of Sciences report to Congress released Thursday says existing compensation boundaries for people exposed to radioactive fallout from above-ground nuclear testing should be expanded to include the entire United States and U.S. territories.

People from 21 counties, including 10 counties in southern Utah, now are eligible for compensation for sicknesses related to fallout from testing in Nevada in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Critics of the new report question whether the recommended changes, most notably a new formula for determining the link between fallout exposure and disease, will make it easier for people in other areas, such as northern Utah and Idaho, to receive compensation.

KANE COUNTY VS. FEDS

The Bureau of Land Management on Tuesday gave Kane County two weeks to take down signs it has posted designating roads through federal lands or face legal action.

Kane County began posting signs in February designating off-road-vehicle routes across BLM-admini- stered land, and last month designated a new route through an area northeast of Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park that is being studied for potential wilderness designation.

CONSUMER SERVICES DIRECTOR

The Committee of Consumer Services on Wednesday confirmed former US West lobbyist Leslie Reberg as its director, granting Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s wish.

The 4-2 vote in favor of Reberg ended weeks of controversy that began March 9 when Huntsman named her as his choice to lead the consumer utility watchdog organization after abruptly firing its longtime director, Roger Ball, for fighting too aggressively to keep utility rates low for the state's consumers.

Reberg said she intends to fight just as hard, but in her own way.