Fishy reasoning

Earlier this month, Gov. Gary Herbert's spokeswoman claimed that the governor had no choice but to appoint an EnergySolutions executive to fill the mandated radioactive waste industry slot on the revamped Radiation Control Board, because, as The Trib summarized, "EnergySolutions is the only company in Utah that fits the bill."

"By design, every [state environmental] board ... has industry representatives from the industry regulated by that board. Why would EnergySolutions be treated differently?" said Ally Isom, Herbert's deputy chief of staff.

That struck me as fishy: In bustling Salt Lake City, there isn't a single other company that handles radioactive materials? So I went to this magic website that perhaps the Herbert administration has heard of: Google. It's very useful.

Turns out there are other firms, including Radioactive Waste Management, US Ecology and AET Environmental.

The Herbert administration should have the decency to own its choice: It handpicked EnergySolutions to help make the state's nuclear waste policy. It's up to us, the voters, to see through this ridiculous rationale and demand officials who actually care about public health and environmental safeguards.

Erin Wyatt

Moab