A galling strategy

Seattle Times: U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham would do well to simmer down and work with the states on cleanup of nuclear wastes rather than to try to go around them to Congress.
After losing in federal court last month, Abraham is trying to ice out state regulators by asking Congress to amend the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. His amendment would let the federal government reclassify some highly radioactive waste at three nuclear sites as low-activity waste requiring less vigorous and cheaper disposal methods.
In a letter to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, Abraham argues the federal court ruling in Boise, Idaho, will slow down cleanup, run up the bill and produce more high-level waste than the planned long-term repository at Yucca Mountain will be able to hold.
Most stupefying is that Abraham seems to assume -- erroneously -- that would be OK with the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and South Carolina, which have a major stake in the decision and whose citizens have to live with the consequences. State officials say Abraham's predictions are exaggerated.
Current law
Last week, the directors of the relevant agencies in the four states, including Washington's Ecology Director Tom Fitzsimmons, reiterated their now 9-month-old offer to work with Energy on these issues within the current law and outside of court.
The states want faster and cheaper cleanup as long as it is safe and effective. They certainly would be remiss if they didn't push Energy for more answers and assurances.
Abraham need only look at Hanford for examples of state regulators' willingness to be open to new and better ways of pursuing cleanup. Ecology is considering being more flexible on front-end deadlines for the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant in return for Energy processing more waste faster after it's operating.
State officials make a persuasive argument that they and the current law are flexible enough to accommodate Energy's accelerated cleanup plans while ensuring the processes are safe and effective.
That Energy officials are so adamant about excluding state regulators from a decision with such major repercussions for the citizens of those states is galling.