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Show ARGUMENTS CITIZEN'S STATE INITIATIVE NUMBER Argument For. Initiative 1 Stops Utah From Receiving Hotter Radioactive Waste and Makes Out of State Polluters Payll Weekly, hundreds of railroad cars arrive in Utah to dump produced low level radioactive waste Utah has become the country 's dumping ground for this contaminated waste. Annually, Utah receives 67 of Class A radioactive waste shipped to commercial sites for disposal Each year, Utah 1 Stop higher levels of waste and make polluters payll Vote Yes'' on Initiative 1 -- receives increasingly more waste, 14 5 million cubic feet m 2001 alone Utah has the only unrestricted commercial radioactive waste dump in the country For many reasons safety concerns, impact on property values, and negative public image other states refuse this waste and willingly send it somewhere else Utah is the only state allowing the disposal of radioactive materials mixed with hazardous waste. In 2001 a radioactive waste tax was adopted, but the law exempted all existing waste contracts from taxation. As a result, Utah receives very little benefit from taking material others states refuse. Other states that allow containerized waste impose taxes from $20 to $235 per cubic toot of waste. In 2001 Utah collected only 2 per cubic foot in radioactive waste taxes Incredibly the radioactive waste industry wants Utah to allow even higher, more dangerous levels of radioactive waste! In response to many Utahns' concerns, Initiative 1 , The Radioactive Waste Restrictions Act, will radioactive waste Prohibit the disposal of dangerous high-levImpose a realistic tax on radioactive waste produced Adequately fund the monitoring of Utah disposal sites In addition, this revenue will be used to benefit Utah's children by: Reducing class sizes Purchasing new textbooks, supplies, and computers Funding scholarships for students and teachers Tax revenues will also be used to build adequate cleanup and closure funds, support self sufficiency programs for the homeless, and assist counties with waste Bites with impact mitigation and economic development Initiative 1 will not put any company out of business The Utah radioactive waste industry has a monopoly on the disposal of certain waste products prohibited elsewhere in the country Also, many nuclear power plants will soon be decommissioned Utah will be the only state to receive much of this waste Unbelievably, Utah's current radioactive waste taxes actually encourage the dumping erf higher volumes orf hotter waste Initiative 1 is consistent with other taxes on industries that impose unique burdens or impacts Liquor taxes fund school lunch programs Oil, gas, and mining industries pay severance d taxes Cigarette taxes fund programs Nuclear and radioactive waste companies are aggressively trying to dispose of higher levels of radioactive waste on state lands Initiative 1 will stop this action! Most radioactive waste generated by Utah businesses is, by law, sent to a facility in Washington Initiative 1 is a bipartisan effort supported by thousands orf people who believe 4 Utah must accept this waste from other states, we should be compensated for assuming this burden. health-relate- UTAHNS FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE CONTROL SENATOR JAKE GARN GOVERNOR CALVIN RAMPTON JACK GALUVAN Argument Against: Initiative 1 sounds good on the surface but underneath is a deception and an abuse of Utah's initiative process targeted at destroying one company Claim: The sponsors of Initiative 1 claim passage will result in more money tor education and that it will help the homeless. Fad: If this initiative succeeds, at least 400 jobs in rural Utah will be lost at a time of already high unemployment. The effect on the economy orf Tooele County would be substantial Tens of millions in annual state tax revenues wiU also be lost, including millions each year that go directly to education. The initiative would impose a $20 tax on a $5 dollar product Because no customer will pay such rates, the targeted company will be forced to dose its doors. Closing down a company that provides income tor 400 families and pays millions each year toward education is no way to improve education nor help the homeless Furthermore, this initiative actually creates two new government entities that will administer the tax revenue. Claim: The sponsors of the initiative daim they are only interested in increasing taxes on one industry Fact: If someone with enough money to gather signatures can abuse the initiative process and drive one company out of business, It can happen to any other company in Utah. No Utah business safe against abuse of the initiative process. Claim: The sponsors of Initiative 1 imply that their initiative would keep high-levnuclear waste from coming into Utah. Fact: There are two separate issues before the public regarding nudear waste. Initiative 1 applies only to nuclear waste, but many who dreutated petitions stated that the initiative would nuclear waste out of Utah. keep high-level low-lev- el The sponsors are conveniently letting people believe Initiative high-levnudear waste storage at Skul Valley by the Goshute Indians. Initiative 1 has absduteiy no impact on the Skul Valley issue because high-levwaste is a federal issue and wade is a state issue. The two issues are completely separate. Utah's elected officials, business leaders, farmers and associations are uniting against Initiative 1 because, if Initiative 1 passes, other Utah industries may be the next target. This initiative would set a precedent that would allow interests to push an initiative promising to hidden, 1 is related to el low-lev- |