Bishop uses defense bill to try to bar N-waste from Utah
He also inserts words to try to preserve the Test and Training Range
The Utah Republican added language to the National Defense Authorization Act that designates 100,000 acres of Utah's west desert as wilderness — a feat Bishop has not been able to accomplish throughout his term.
The House on Wednesday approved the $491 billion bill, which sets Defense Department policy and plans spending for next year. The Senate is expected to vote next month on its own defense bill.
Also in the bill, House Republicans abandoned their effort to curb the role of women in combat zones after running into opposition from the Pentagon and lawmakers from both parties.
Bishop successfully inserted language to the House bill that would designate the Cedar Mountains as a wilderness area. If the Senate agrees, the wilderness designation could block the Skull Valley Band of Goshutes from transporting spent nuclear fuel rods through the Cedar Mountains, near the Utah Test and Training Range.
With 12,574 miles of airspace, the Utah Test and Training Range is the Defense Department's largest test range. On that land, F-16 pilots from Hill Air Force Base can train in air-to-air combat in a place that mirrors where U.S. troops are fighting today.
The proposed Private Fuel Storage nuclear-waste facility would hold up to 4,000 casks filled with spent nuclear fuel. Utah leaders have exhausted nearly every option in blocking the waste facility.
Bishop's wilderness provision will most likely not make it through the Senate, Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, said last month.
"There are a variety of senators who opposed it for a variety of reasons," he said.
Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, introduced language to the House bill that would prevent the Defense Department from destroying records and data on military personnel's exposure to radioactive fallout from past nuclear weapons tests.
"Atmospheric testing was a dark period in our history for many Americans and questions about long-term cancer risks are unanswered," Matheson said in a statement. "We should do whatever we can to preserve the limited records from that time so that they'll be available for scientific study."
The bill permits the Pentagon to spend billions on military supplies, including armored vehicles, night vision devices and jammers to defend against roadside bombs.
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