Environment
No Peace For These Atoms
February 7, 2006 
Former Guvs Cece Andrus and Phil Batt appeared in U.S. District Court Monday in an attempt to make the feds live up to a deal that would have nuke waste out of Idaho by 2018.
If the attorney general can thumb his nose at the United States senate on behalf of President George W. Bush’s wire tap practices, there is little hope to get the nuke waste out .
Andrus got the attention of the Dept. of Energy folks in 1988 when he had a state trooper impound a railroad boxcar full of waste coming into Idaho. The trooper stopped the boxcar at Pocatello and refused to let it move until a compromise was reached.
Then in 1995 Batt thought he had made history with an agreement he signed which everyone thought would have stored waste out of Idaho. Now the feds are challenging the deal and the trial is expected to last for a week.
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Comments & Discussion
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Feb 8, 2006, 10:19 am
Hmmm, the 1995 Gov. Batt deal regarding nuclear waste, I have visions of Bruce Willis in my head. Am I remembering a dream, or was Mr. Willis really in Boise standing on the steps of the Capitol, shaking Gov. Batt’s hand?
OMG, no, a hollywood liberal. It gets worse, he’s one of those tree-hugging Blaine county residents. He ain’t got no right to be messin’ with are state gubement! Case he dont no, this heres a red state! (sp errors on purpose)
I hope ya’ll get my sarcasm here.
Ed note–
That is the same Bruce Willis who told us all how he voted on Idaho issues only to be exposed by Dan Popkey as never registering to vote in Idaho!
Feb 9, 2006, 12:02 pm
I think you were dreaming, Cynic. I remember Bruce Willis standing on the Capital steps pouring out a glass of water and condemning Batt’s deal with the feds because he had children living near the aquifer running under the INL. While doing so he was lauding his Republican credentials. Libertarian maybe but I think Mr. Willis might take issue with you calling him a liberal, not that name calling or labeling gets us anywhere.
Feb 9, 2006, 4:52 pm
Sisyphus–interesting name, I had to look that up. The dude whose punishment in Hades was to eternally roll a large rock to the top of a hill only to have it roll down again.
I think we have somethin’ in common.
Anyway, my comments weren’t meant to disparage B. Willis in any way. I’ve met him and he’s very personable.
I was trying to make light of the nuke waste issue which, imo, is usually the foray of the left side of the fence. Taking the “green” position is rarely seen in ID gov’t let alone by a governor. Perhaps it isn’t a “green” issue at all, but a State gov’t vs Federal gov’t which is typically a conservative issue.
I was also trying to make fun of the attitude in Boise (that I seem to notice) about Blaine county being liberal, and Sun Valley folks being snobs. I lived up there for a long time and I don’t think I’m too much of a snob, nor much of a liberal. I knew quite a few others that didn’t fit the “liberal” “snob” bill either.
Feb 9, 2006, 5:52 pm
Point well taken. I did some time there myself. I always felt more at home with the folks whose families had lived there awhile rather than the transplants.
I agree it is a state v. federal issue and the fact that two Governors from different parties both testified against the feds on the issue bears that out. I was initially skeptical of Batt’s deal but I now think he demonstrated great foresight. Its getting harder and harder to trust the feds.
Always nice to chat with a fellow cynic.