View source for Office of the United States Nuclear Waste Negotiator

The '''Office of the United States Nuclear Waste Negotiator''' was a short-lived [[Independent agencies of the United States government|independent agency]] of the [[federal government of the United States]] during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The agency was responsible for the placement and long-term storage of [[radioactive waste]] in the United States.<ref>[http://www.isu.edu/library/special/mc067b.htm Richard H. Stallings Biography, Idaho State University Library] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113132002/http://www.isu.edu/library/special/mc067b.htm |date=2008-11-13 }}</ref> It was created under the auspices of the [[Nuclear Waste Policy Act]].<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5DC163BF930A25751C0A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all  Hired to Be Negotiator, But Treated Like Pariah]</ref>
Although the agency was created in 1987, it remained without a head until 1990,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121022051622/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1115662.html Nuclear Waste Negotiator; A Post With Scant Appeal; `Superbly Qualified' Person Finally Found]</ref> when President [[George H. W. Bush]] appointed former [[Idaho]] [[Lieutenant Governor of Idaho|Lieutenant Governor]] [[David H. Leroy|David Leroy]], a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], to be the first United States Nuclear Waste Negotiator.<ref name=eyehotst>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=undfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oi8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=4250%2C3655936 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |last=Kenyon |first=Quayne |title=Former Idaho 'hot property' eyes a hot seat |date=July 29, 1990 |page=3B}}</ref><ref>[http://www.dleroy.com/ David H. Leroy, Attorney - Boise, Idaho]</ref> In a 1991 speech to the [[National Congress of American Indians]], Leroy stated the Native American's tradition of long-term culture made them especially suited for storing nuclear waste, including quotes from [[Chief Seattle]]. This led to sharp negative reactions from the audience, calling it [[Machiavellianism (politics)|Machiavellian]] and [[Orwellian]].<ref name="nirs_rr">{{Cite web |title=Radioactive Racism: The History of Targeting Native American Communities with High-Level Atomic Waste Dumps |author= |work=Public Citizen |date= |access-date=2 August 2020 |url= https://www.nirs.org/wp-content/uploads/radwaste/scullvalley/historynativecommunitiesnuclearwaste06142005.pdf}}</ref>
In 1993 President [[Bill Clinton]] replaced Leroy with former [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] Congressman [[Richard H. Stallings|Richard Stallings]], also from Idaho.
The agency was eliminated in 1995.<ref>[http://www.isu.edu/library/special/mc067b.htm Richard H. Stallings Biography, Idaho State University Library] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113132002/http://www.isu.edu/library/special/mc067b.htm |date=2008-11-13 }}</ref>
==United States Nuclear Waste Negotiators==
{| class="wikitable"
! Name
! State of Residence
! Year appointed
! [[President of the United States|President(s)]] served under
|-
|[[David H. Leroy|David Leroy]]
|align=center|[[Idaho]]
|align=center|1990
|[[George H. W. Bush]]
|-
|[[Richard H. Stallings|Richard Stallings]]
|align=center|Idaho
|align=center|1993
|[[Bill Clinton]]
|}
==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Defunct agencies of the United States government]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1987]]
[[Category:Government agencies disestablished in 1995]]
[[Category:1987 establishments in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:1995 disestablishments in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Radioactive waste]]