The nuclear waste storage plan incorporated in a Senate appropriations bill takes the pressure off the government to provide a timely permanent waste storage solution for commercial radioactive waste, and removes state authority to veto the presence of "interim" storage sites. In other words, South Carolina, beware.

The proposal, sponsored by Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., would open up interim storage sites at existing federal facilities, presumably including the sprawling Savannah River Site near Aiken. The sites would be used to take care of 50,000 tons of highly radioactive waste now stored on site in 31 states by commercial energy producers.

The appropriations bill passed out of committee last week, and will require both Senate and House approval.

The provision for nuclear waste defines "interim" as 25 years. SRS has been providing "temporary" storage of high-level radioactive waste related to the production of nuclear weapons for more than half a century.

The federal government has been successfully sued by utilities for failing to provide storage in a timely manner, as required by law. Meanwhile, it has been unable to gain final approval of a permanent repository in Yucca Mountain, Nev., largely because of the determined opposition of that state.

It is worth noting that Congress' major opponent to the Yucca Mountain site, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., endorses the interim storage plan.

Sen. Domenici said that interim storage begins "to resolve the nuclear waste problem," in comments to The Associated Press. "This is an orderly way to do it."

Mainly, it gets the federal government off the hotseat for failing to complete a permanent storage site, despite the expenditure of billions at Yucca Mountain. If approved, most of the congressmen now in office will be given a breather on the intransigent waste issue for the rest of their political lives. Utilities presumably will be relieved of their storage responsibilities and will stop suing the federal government. Development of nuclear power will likely resume.

And a few states would probably assume the waste storage burden for the nation. If past is prelude, South Carolina would be required to assume a major role, like it or not. Our congressmen should oppose this plan.