This is from HEAL UTAH, a group concerned about Utah's unusally high levels of radioactivity from nuclear waste storage and disposal. While this may be too far away a journey for most people from CA, it may help CA activists to be aware of ongoing nuclear issues and protests taking place in Utah..



Utah is Not for Sale Rally and Lobby Day



"It's appalling.

Despite the Governor's and Congressman Matheson's strongly worded opposition, and in defiance of the wishes of Utahns, lawmakers plan to push legislation next week to make Utah the dumping ground for foreign nuclear waste in exchange for EnergySolutions' cash.

Our message is simple: Utah is NOT for sale. And next week, we are bringing this message straight to the Capitol steps. Will you help us?

Please join us for a "Utah is NOT for sale" rally at the Capitol next Wednesday, February 25th, at 5:15pm. We need to stand together to deliver the message that we will NOT be bought off by EnergySolutions' dirty money. We'll be handing out "NOT For Sale" signs and gathering on the Rotunda Steps inside the Capitol Building starting at 5:00pm.

Personally deliver a "Utah is NOT for sale" message to your elected representatives. We are looking for at least one person from every district in Utah to personally deliver this important message to their legislators. We will have a table set up in the Cafeteria (first floor of Senate or East Building) from 7:30am to 4:00pm. Check in to get a fact sheet and quick tips on how to get a hold of your legislators.

Gov. Huntsman defiantly put his foot down yesterday telling the Legislature he would veto any bill to dump foreign nuclear waste in Utah.

But EnergySolutions doesn't take no for an answer and so its army of lobbyists is working to pick up enough votes to override the Governor's veto. The company already has a head start, having donated more to legislators and political parties in recent years than any other corporation or political action committee in the state (and covering over 80% of the Legislature).

Join us next week to remind our legislators that we elect them to serve US, not EnergySolutions' bottom line. Help us deliver a clear and simple message: Utah is NOT for sale."



EnergySolutions background info;



EnergySolutions' Indecent Proposal

Please take a minute to contact key legislators on EnergySolutions' proposal to trade cash for foreign waste--it's easy!

To find your Representative and Senator, use the map here (it takes a while to load, but shows photos and phone numbers of your elected representatives).

Remember to make two calls--one to your Senator, and one to your Representative. Here's a sample message you can use:

I'm calling to urge you to NOT consider legislation to trade foreign nuclear waste for cash. I, along with the overwhelming majority of Utahns, oppose EnergySolutions' efforts to open our state to the world's nuclear garbage. No other country on earth takes another country's nuclear waste and there's no reason for Utah to become the exception. Thank you.

If you really want your voice to be heard, you can also leave a message with House and Senate Leadership:

Senate President Michael Waddoups (R-West Valley): 801-967-0225, waddoups [at] utahsenate.org

House Speaker David Clark (R-Santa Clara): 435-628-5108, dclark [at] utah.gov

Thank you!

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(BTW - There is nothing that prevents people from outside of Utah from calling the above politicians and making their voice heard also.

Nuclear waste dumping and radioactive leaks into air and watersheds are not limited to state boundaries either!!)

Background

"EnergySolutions has been working steadily over the years to remove any and all public oversight of its operations.

When Gov. Huntsman said he would oppose EnergySolutions' plans to double the footprint of its dumpsite, the company ran a bill to remove the Governor from the oversight process.

When EnergySolutions wanted to double the height of its dump, they passed a bill that removed both the Legislature and the Governor from having any say.

And now that a regional Board--called the Northwest Compact--has said "no" to EnergySolutions' foreign waste plans, it is under attack.

EnergySolutions sued the Northwest Compact last May over its denial of the foreign waste plan and the State of Utah--a member of the Compact--joined as co-defendant. But as the trial date approaches, and EnergySolutions realizes it may lose the court case, the company has turned to yet another strategy: buying us off.

As reported in the Salt Lake Tribune, EnergySolutions officials have been pitching a plan to state lawmakers where the company would split profits on foreign waste contracts with the state. In return, the Legislature would move to withdraw Utah's membership in the Northwest Compact.

That would mean any country in the world could arrange to bring its waste to Utah, and the state would have no say in the matter. Equally bad, EnergySolutions would have undone the deal Governor Huntsman brokered back in 2007, that ensured EnergySolutions would not attempt to further expand its dumpsite.

We've been wondering why Steve Creamer has been making such a hard sell on our TV sets every night but now we know. Besides telling us that his nuclear waste cures cancer, creates beautiful parks, and solves our energy crisis, this snake oil salesman is now telling us that dumping nuclear waste in Utah is the fix for our budget.

We can understand certain legislators' temptation to take EnergySolutions' money, but letting EnergySolutions hold the purse strings to the state's budget would be a grave mistake. EnergySolutions is hoping that in a moment of weakness, we'll trade our values for cash. But while the hole in our budget is temporary, the damage to our democracy would be irreparable. And Utah would forever be the world's nuclear waste dump."

all above info found @;

http://healutah.org/