The Salt Lake Tribune

U.S. Homeland Security Department officials wrapped up a weeklong visit Friday to study plans for using a Tooele County Indian reservation as a way station for nuclear-plant waste.

Their activities were low profile and their report won't be made public, but their work made a big impression on Utahns concerned about the proposed waste site.

“I'm just thrilled they were here,” said Michael S. Lee, general counsel to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

“It was very important to all of us,” agreed Sen. Orrin Hatch.

The Utah Republican has been complaining loudly lately about the federal government's involvement in the waste storage plan, a joint enterprise of a consortium of nuclear-power utilities and the Skull Valley Band of Goshutes.

“This is a tremendously strong target for terrorism, and I don't see how anyone in Homeland Security couldn't see this is a dangerous place to put” 44,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste.

Homeland Security officials brought along an adviser from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the federal agency poised to make a final decision in coming weeks on licensing the waste site.

Plans by the consortium, Private Fuel Storage (PFS), call for leasing 820 acres of the Goshute reservation to build a 100-acre “parking lot” for 4,000 steel-and-concrete containers of used reactor rods. The PFS-Goshute license would be for 20 years, with a possible 20-year extension.

The NRC is responsible for the waste once at the storage site. But the Homeland Security Department has the job of helping to prevent sabotage in the area surrounding the facility and responding to any attacks the facility might face.

Homeland Security officials toured the site Thursday and were expected to meet with tribal officials Leon Bear and Lori Skiby. The delegation included Bob Stephan, acting Undersecretary for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection.

They also heard from officials based in Utah, including those overseeing environmental laws, public safety and security.

"They were fruitful meetings," said Homeland Security spokeswoman Michelle Petrovich. "We felt like we got a lot out of it."

The Utah government has been the project's most vocal and aggressive opponent. It welcomed a fresh look at project over which state law has practically no control because it is being built on sovereign tribal lands.