Webb: There's a bit of a lull in the 2006 election year, so instead of joining Frank in campaign political analysis (see below) I'm going to address what I think is the most burning issue of the moment, one that I hope citizens and leaders will immediately engage in — the fight to keep high-level nuclear waste out of Utah.
I'm afraid too many people think this fight has been won. It hasn't. Private Fuel Storage has a permit to pour a concrete slab on the Goshute Reservation to store 4,000 casks containing spent fuel rods from eastern nuclear plants. PFS is out marketing the site to eastern utilities: "THIS IS THE PLACE to dump your nasty waste."
All PFS needs is a permit from the Bureau of Land Management to build a transfer station adjacent to I-80 to offload gigantic casks from train cars to huge trucks. But here's our opportunity: The BLM wants to know what we think — what citizens, political leaders, business organizations, unions, environmental groups and church groups think.
Sen. Orrin Hatch and other leaders are convinced that if enough Utahns express opposition to the transfer station and to the PFS operation, then an excellent chance exists the BLM will reject the permit application. If we are complacent, however, and the BLM does not receive an outpouring of thousands of letters and e-mail messages, then we may have the dubious honor of housing the world's most dangerous waste, the stuff no other state wants — 4,000 giant casks, plopped on a concrete slab 45 miles upwind of the Wasatch Front; adjacent to the heavily traveled I-80 freeway; next to an Air Force bombing range that is crucial to the nation's defense and to Utah's economy (and bombs do go astray and fighter jets do crash).
This, literally, may be our last and only chance to keep this stuff out of Utah. No doubt, the common perception is that writing a letter on a public policy issue won't make a difference. Trust me (better yet, trust Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., Hatch and other leaders), this time it will. It really will.
Take a minute and shoot off an e-mail. We need 10,000 Utahns, better yet, 20,000, to comment. We haven't defeated nuclear waste. Not by a long shot. We need employers to encourage employees to send a message. We need unions, environmental groups, business associations and churches to engage their members.
Comments must be sent before May 8 to: Pam Schuller, Bureau of Land Management, Salt Lake Field Office, 2370 S. 2300 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84119. Fax 801-977-4397; e-mail pam_schuller@blm.gov. Let's flood the BLM with messages! For more info: www.deq.utah.gov/Issues/no_high_level_waste/index.htm.
Pignanelli: In the words of Yogi Berra, "This is like deja vu all over again." Last Sunday, the Deseret Morning News released the poll showing Congressman Chris Cannon enjoyed only 36 percent support among his 3rd Congressional District voters. Politicos are commenting that Cannon is vulnerable once again in his re-election bid. Two years ago, with no money but lots of support from anti-immigration activists, former legislator Matt Throckmorton shoved Cannon into a primary and received 40 percent of the vote. In 2002, Cannon began his campaign with only 25 percent support among registered voters.
The race in the 3rd District very much mirrors the past with some new dynamics. Unlike Cannon's prior GOP opponents, John Jacob is well-financed and Merrill Cook is well-known. The struggle between Cannon and Cook has a historical component. During their service together in Congress, Cannon and Cook bashed heads on various issues, including immigration and free trade. When Cook was seeking re-election to the 2nd Congressional District in 2000, Cannon endorsed Derek Smith (Smith won the primary but lost to Jim Matheson in the general election). The intensity of the emotions behind the anti-immigration activists, who are indicating support of Cook, will add a flammable ingredient to an already heated contest. Some campaign observers believe that Cook may not be able to win, but his convention attacks on Cannon could soften the incumbent enough for Jacob to capture the nomination in the primary. (Cannon will benefit from the last week's progress on immigration legislation.)
The question remains, why does Cannon endure this problem every two years? Cannon's unflappable willingness to promote President Bush's immigration legislation makes him a lightning rod for extremist organizations opposed to amnesty or work programs that benefit undocumented workers. These well-funded groups (i.e. Team America, Project USA) have dedicated entire Web sites and media campaigns toward the destruction of Cannon's political career. Last year, Cannon's Colorado congressional colleague, the always bizarre Tom Tancredo, visited Utah County on a speaking tour to instill opposition against Cannon and others who support the Bush legislation. Well-liked in Congress, his friends admit Cannon is a mediocre campaigner. Cannon also suffers from a mind that works much faster than his mouth (most politicians are burdened with the opposite condition), so he sometimes is perceived as inarticulate.
Cannon may be able to prove — again — that history, and not early polls, is the best indicator of success in the 3rd District.
Republican LaVarr Webb was policy deputy to Gov. Mike Leavitt and Deseret News managing editor. He now is a political consultant and lobbyist. E-mail: lwebb@exoro.com. Democrat Frank Pignanelli is Salt Lake attorney, lobbyist and political adviser. A former candidate for Salt Lake mayor, he served 10 years in the Utah House of Representatives, six years as House minority leader. Pignanelli's spouse, D'Arcy Dixon Pignanelli, is executive director of the state Department of Administrative Services in the Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. administration. E-mail: frankp@xmission.com.