Democrats To Decide Platform Plank Opposing Nuclear Waste Agreement

Delegates to the Idaho Democratic Party’s state convention will have to vote whether to retain a platform plank opposing Gov. Phil Batt’s deal with the federal government on nuclear waste.

A sentence expressing Democrat opposition to the agreement was placed in the draft platform. At a hearing Friday, the Platform Committee was urged to take it out.

But later, the committee’s chairman said he expected to leave that statement in the platform.

“If someone wants to make a motion on the floor, we’ll vote on it,” he said. “The feelings from both sides are pretty strong,” said Jasper LiCalzi, Platform Committee chairman.

Clay Condit, a delegate from Butte County, urged the Platform Committee to eliminate the statement. He’s a retired Idaho National Engineering Laboratory physicist.

The convention would be adopting “an unfortunate and regrettable policy in attacking this nuclear agreement,” he said.

He said Idaho doubtless could have gotten better terms than Batt won, but the agreement is unique among the states.

“Other states would be delighted to have a similar agreement,” he said. “I think we have a satisfactory agreement.”

LiCalzi said Democrats want to make it clear that they support INEL, but feel there should be a change in its mission.

“They should be doing research, not being a disposal site” for nuclear waste, he said.

Delegates also may be asked to decide whether to include a statement opposing the One Percent Initiative. Idaho voters in November will decide an initiative designed to limit property taxes.

LiCalzi told committee members that the Democrat platform should make a statement on the issue. Eventually it was decided to let the full convention decide.