Batt Vows To Continue Fight Over N-Waste

The Clinton administration failed on Tuesday to meet the demands of Idaho Gov. Phil Batt for opening a permanent national nuclear waste dump, and Batt pledged to use everything possible to block resumption of waste dumping at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory.

“I have no question at all in my mind that they will try to ship naval waste sometime in the very near future,” the governor said after emerging from a 75-minute meeting with top administration officials at the Energy Department.

“I will protest and attempt to get injunctions against the shipment of the material,” Batt said. “If those are unsuccessful, I’m not going to predict what other actions we might take.”

The Navy has made resumption of shipments of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel from its warships a matter of national security, and Batt acknowledged that would be difficult to counter but “we’ll probably learn that in court.

“We made absolutely no concessions,” he said, denying allegations by anti-nuclear and environmental activist that he intended to “cut a deal” that would allow waste shipments to resume.