March 24, 2005

Regarding No Child Left Behind: "...our metrics are quite good, and we're little understood in the Department of Education...they come in with their sort of 'one size fits all' without realizing we have our own metrics that are quite good in the form of U-PASS for example..."

Reporters (in order of appearance):

KEN VERDOIA, KUED
TOM JORDAN, METRO NETWORKS
ROD DECKER, KUTV
RICHARD PIATT, KSL-TV
JENNY BRUNDIN, KUER
REBECCA WALSH, SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

Transcript:

KEN VERDOIA, KUED: Governor Huntsman, thanks for joining us today. After nearly a decade the state is clearly at a point where a decision will soon be forthcoming on the proposed storage of high-level radioactive waste on the Skull Valley Reservation lands of the Goshute Indian Nation. While the state's vowed to pursue every possible means of blocking this storage, can you give me your opinion, what you think is the best possible course for the state, or the most likely course, if any, to block this?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Well, we have legislative remedies, we have appeals processes with the Interior Department, for example, that are being undertaken, with the solicitor of the Interior Department, effectively the number 3 position there. We have the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, with whom we are pursuing appeals on their latest 2-1 vote. I think at the end of the day, congress standing up and doing something in the form of changing our storage policy in the United States is something that I hope we can push. I know it's something, for example, that Senator Harry Reed has talked about. I, last week, talked to the Secretary of Energy, as I did the Secretary of Interior about this very thing.

You have Excelon Corporation, which is 20 percent of the nuclear industry, that currently is storing its spent waste on site. They're moving toward reprocessing like is done in Russia and Japan, and France. And I don't think there's any reason that we ought to be in the transportation and temporary storage of this spent fuel to begin with. And I think it raises a whole lot of national security and homeland security-related concerns as well, that I don't think have been adequately articulated. I shared them with many whom I met with last week. I look forward in the weeks to come to sitting down with the head of Homeland Security to raise these issues.

Effectively what you have are 4,000 above-ground casks. And I know some have argued that they're impenetrable, yet in the 2-1 vote, the one dissenting vote with the NRC or the subsidiary of the NRC, is the only nuclear engineer of the bunch, and I think he argued the case in our favor, saying that there probably is a risk that we are running when you have 4,000 casks above ground in a day and age of truck bombs, and in a day and age of errant airplanes. So I think there is much more that we need to do legislatively, in terms of the appeals processes, both with the Interior Department and the NRC. And finally, I do think we need to work with the White House in coming out, in trying to get them to support a longer-term broad-based solution for nuclear policy and storage, and reprocessing more generally.

TOM JORDAN, METRO NETWORKS: Are you getting any help from former Governor Leavitt, who appears to have the president's ear? This was his baby originally.

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Well, suffice it to say I have consulted with Governor Leavitt, as I did when I was in Washington last week. I'll meet with Senator Reed when he is in town in a week. And I think we can find allies on both sides of the political spectrum. I don't think this is necessarily a partisan issue. I think this is what is good for our region of the United States from a quality of life and safety issue. And I think you're going to find both Republicans and Democrats who are effectively arguing the same point of view.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: Senator Reed is unhappy with us because our guys in congress voted for putting nuclear waste in Nevada. It was said by Representative Hansen that Senator Reed was the guy who did in Hansen's plan to declare a ring of wilderness around the reservation to keep, to ward off nukes. Senator Reed has recently complained again, or the Nevadans have, that our guys have broken western solidarity. Do we need to be in step with Nevada if we're going to expect Harry Reed to oppose nukes here? Do we have to oppose nuclear waste there?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: I think it's helpful to be of one mind and one voice in this particular case. Now, I know that a vote was taken at a different time with a different set of circumstances, such that if it didn't go to Yucca Mountain, perhaps it would come here. And so our senators were put in a very delicate situation. I'm now coming to it, and I'm saying, if we have a Yucca Mountain ultimately, well 90 percent of that garbage is going to go right through our state. And if I don't stand up and try to protect what I think are the best interests of this state, then I'm not adequately and properly serving my constituents.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: Are you against Yucca Mountain?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: I am to the extent that the product, at least 90 percent of it, would roll right through our state.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: Okay, to the extent- - If they route it through Idaho then you'll, you're with the president and against Harry Reed?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Well, here's what I am for. I am for a longer-term storage solution that we just don't have today. And I think that we he can- - Listen, even if we did Yucca Mountain we wouldn't be able to store all of that which we have to be stored today, based upon what current operations have produced. To say nothing of the future. And so even with Yucca Mountain, you're looking at just a very temporary solution. And I'm saying, why do we keep going from one temporary solution to another? It's temporary here, it's temporary, really, at Yucca Mountain in the sense that we have a lot more beyond that that we've got to store. Let's get down to a policy that talks about on-site storage and on-site reprocessing. And if we've got 20 percent of the industry already doing it with the support of the Department of Energy, I think we have grounds for further discussion, here.

RICHARD PIATT, KSL-TV: Is Senator Reed's appearance here in Utah perhaps symbolic of an effort to unify the west, after all, to try to get Nevada and Utah on the same page, if you will? Is that what you're trying for?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Well, I don't know why he is coming. He comes through town periodically, and I will be meeting with him during his trip. And I don't know what his overall legislative strategy is. All I can tell you is I happen to subscribe to his belief that we are better served longer term by finding a policy different than the one that is currently being pursued, that which would seek a longer-term storage and reprocessing solution on site, as opposed to somewhere else.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: You fired Roger Ball, chief advocate for low consumer utility rates. Why did you do that?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Well, I think firing is not an accurate description. When you are a political appointee, you serve at the pleasure of the governor. And as such, you submit your resignation, or you do not continue in place. This is not unlike what happened eight years ago, when Governor Leavitt took effectively the same action. It was recommended during the course of our transition, rather unanimously by a bipartisan group that I put together for the transition team, they looked at every department and agency and made certain recommendations.

Further, we had Mr. Skousen, who went over to run the Department of Commerce. He later made a recommendation. And if a department head makes a recommendation to me- - And some of the papers have gotten this one wrong. They're saying that the governor forced it on the department head, that it was somehow driven from my office. I'm responding to what my department heads tell me, and the recommendations that they make in terms of what is best for the operations of their individual departments. The recommendation was made, I supported my department head who wanted to do something in this case.

Leslie Rieberg, who I did not know, but was highly recommended by those whom she had worked with, both Republican and Democrat, was recommended as a good choice, and we decided to pursue that. And it is now subject, as it should be, to a very open and transparent process, not to mention a lot of give and take in the media. And that is there will be an open meeting on Monday, there will then be a vote taken by the commission a day or two after that, and the commission will then determine whether Leslie Rieberg, who I think is a qualified person for the job, is up to the task or not. It isn't a case of the governor, by fiat, forcing somebody upon the Department of Commerce. We're going through the various steps that are required by law.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: Do you believe that businesses are subsidizing individual rates on utilities, and that that's harming Utah's economic climate?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: I just want to have someone there who is going to be fair and balanced. And listen, I want to thank Roger Ball for his service. Here's another point I'd like to make. I'm term limiting myself. I'm saying I'm not going to serve more than eight years. Maybe people will kick me out after four, I don't know. But if I'm not going to serve more than eight years, when it comes to political appointments, I would expect that they, too, would serve no more than a defined period of time. Otherwise you have fiefdom building in politics. You have the permanent class of public servants, and then you have political appointees. Political appointees, by their very nature, should be refreshed from time to time, because that's the vehicle by which we bring new thinking into government. And I think that's a very healthy thing. So all I'm looking for is to refresh the system. And a new person with a fresh set of eyeballs to carry on a dialogue and do what we think is best for the consumer.

JENNY BRUNDIN, KUER: Salt Lake City's mayor is in London right now for a conference on global warming. Salt Lake City is 71 percent towards reaching the goals of the Kyoto protocols to reduce greenhouse gases by 7 percent. I know the mayor has met with you about the state joining in with cities on a larger, broader set of urban environmental accords. Can you tell me specifically, is the state considering doing anything on the issue of carbon emissions?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: We are. I've met with Rocky two or three times on this issue specifically, and he has shared with me, both in word and in writing, some of the changes that he has made. Things as seemingly innocuous as lighting and heating in buildings. And I think he's on to some good ideas in that regard. And I have told our staff that I would like to follow up with some of the recommendations and see what we can implement to maybe come in line with more efficiencies. Now, whether we meet the standard for Kyoto, I don't know. Rocky isn't there yet. I know he's talking about it, but I do think that there are some very helpful steps that we can take in terms of minimizing emissions, and operating more efficiently. And I do believe that he is on to something that is good, and there are probably some ideas that we'll end up implementing.

JENNY BRUNDIN, KUER: No specifics right now as far as setting goals?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Well, we're not to the goal point. We are to the "let's take a look at what Rocky has done in terms of operating and maintaining buildings, for example, that perhaps we could take a chapter from." And we're looking at lighting, we're looking at heating, for example, and as soon as we get our arms around what we ought to be doing, what perhaps is a good thing for the state from an efficiency standpoint, then we'll probably follow up with some goals after that.

REBECCA WALSH, SALT LAKE TRIBUNE: As you know, civil rights groups and First Amendment groups are saying the porn bill is likely to be challenged in court. Can you tell us what kind of legal analysis your office did of that bill before you signed it?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Well, they did the analysis and they shared with me the idea that signing it was appropriate, that it might be fought, and if it was fought that we could fight back on solid legal grounds, and that was sufficient for me to sign the bill.

KEN VERDOIA, KUED: Governor, this week two actions, one in which you vetoed a bill, the so-called Ritalin bill, which some supporters of the bill say were parental rights measures. Then this, later in the week you signed House Bill 338, child welfare revisions, which others identified as a parental rights bill. Take a look at these two and help the public understand how your separate actions explain your view of the state's role in child welfare.

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: 338 really was formalizing that which was already in statute. It was language that we had become familiar with, and indeed, embraced as a state. And 338 effectively was reiterating that and putting it further into law. The Ritalin bill is a little bit misunderstood, simply because of the tag that it carries. I was opposed to that because I wasn't clear as to what kinds of conversations could take place between teachers and parents, and I think, if pursued, the Ritalin bill would have put a chill on perhaps any and all conversations between teachers and parents.

For example, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, dyslexia, ADD, whatever it might be. I think it's an important dialogue, as I had with my daughter's teacher yesterday at Wasatch Elementary School. Early intervention, early diagnoses for learning disabilities, for example, longer term serves the student, the parents, and the family a whole lot better. And I wanted to make sure that I was clear and understood what we were allowing teachers to be able to discuss with parents. And it didn't come through in that bill.

Moreover, there was a copyright infringement aspect of it in terms of the tests that would be given to those who are being evaluated in some form or fashion, whereby the test would be given to the parents ahead of time. And I think that, according to many legal scholars, would be an infringement on intellectual property rights, and something that I wasn't about to venture into. So those are really a couple of concerns that I had with the so-called Ritalin bill.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: You signed the bill putting a moratorium on redevelopment. One argument for that bill is that our tax structure is dysfunctional in that it encourages local governments to give breaks to great big retailers who don't really enhance the state's economy, and that those tax breaks are paid for by, say, manufacturing companies, which might enhance the state's economy. Do you believe that? Will you be pushing to make the moratorium on redevelopment money going to retail, will you be pushing to make that moratorium permanent?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Well, I think it's good, first of all, one of the reasons I signed it is I think we need a year cooling off period. I think we really do need an analysis on the so-called RDA policy during this year. What is a truly blighted area versus what is not a truly blighted area? I'm concerned, for example, about growth patterns that are made possible by big box outlets that would not be consistent with quality growth patterns, both in terms of aesthetics and also the contribution that they may or may not be making to the economy.

And further, I think that perhaps there have been some, I'm not going to call them violations of RDA, but abuses of RDA policy, and I think it's time to call a timeout, to look at RDA policy, and to see if we are, in fact, giving short shrift to education through the policies that have been pursued in years past. All of this needs to be wrapped up in a review this year, and out of it I think is going to come a better RDA policy. And what that looks like I don't know. I'm not willing to venture a guess at this point.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: Do you have an opinion on using RDA to build stadia for professional sports?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Stadia? Now that is plural- -

ROD DECKER, KUTV: Plural for stadium.

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Or at any rate- - Stadia. As it relates to stadia, I think most stadiums in the country have been a public-private effort, and I think you can see where our own stadia here in Utah have also been a public-private effort. I don't have a problem with that public-private effort, and then I think in some cases, where you are talking about a legitimately blighted area, which the RDA was really focused on initially, where we can redevelop and enliven that particular area, whether it's a stadium or something else, I think the RDA is an effective tool.

RICHARD PIATT, KSL-TV: Governor, in about a month the legislature will reconvene in a special session you called to deal with, among other things, the No Child Left Behind bill. The issue with legislators is the local control over education, of course. You've gone to Washington to meet with the Department of Education to try to iron out some kind of an agreement to give some of that control back, or to at least amend No Child Left Behind, perhaps. Have you gotten any progress? Are you sensing any willingness on the part of the federal government to give at all with No Child Left Behind?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: I am. In fact today we have a group meeting with the Department of Education, Tim Bridgewater leading it, I know Patty Harrington is involved. And I will tell you that our discussions have been productive so far in that the Department of Education, through Margaret Spellings, the secretary, and their assistant secretary for secondary education policy, they're getting a better feel for our metrics for measuring students and schools. This needed to be done, because our metrics are quite good, and we're little understood in the Department of Education. In other words, they come in with their sort of "one size fits all" without realizing we have our own metrics that are quite good in the form of U-pass, for example, and other criteria.

We are trying to get the department to do more, and they have, in fact, moved on evaluating teachers, for example, rural teachers. How can you expect a rural teacher to have a major qualification in all subjects that they teach, when you've got a teacher who is doing math, biology, and football team? It's impossible. And so we've made progress in that particular area.

We are making some progress on adequate yearly progress. We hope to make more in areas such as students with disabilities, special needs students, and how they are factored into the overall quantification of adequate yearly progress. That is something that we need to see some movement on, and something that right now is a sticking point, because if done as recommended, we have a lot of failing schools in this state over the course of the next five years that shouldn't otherwise be failing. There's another point that would deal with LED students, or English as a second language students, that we're trying to seek some compromise or understanding on as well.

So the time, the clock is ticking, and I'll return probably around the 10th or 11th or 12th of April for maybe a final round of discussions with Secretary Spellings, and we'll see where we are in terms of their willingness to accept some of our home-grown criteria for outcomes, and we'll see if that is, in fact, enough to forestall action on April 20th. I don't know where we'll be. All I know is that the clock is running, and the department knows the clock is running, and they also know, increasingly, fortified and buttressed by the discussions today, and probably some yesterday, what we need to kind of bridge the differences. So we're getting there.

TOM JORDAN, METRO NETWORKS: Governor- -

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: I'm encouraged.

TOM JORDAN, METRO NETWORKS: There are some state employees who think there's a morale problem at the moment. Do you see that actually, and is there anything you can do about it?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Well, yes, there are things that can be done. And I would argue that state employees probably feel that they were hit hard during this last legislative session. That probably is somewhat mitigated by the largest compensation realignment for state employees in a generation, which I fought very hard for, which included a cost of living adjustment and a market comparability measurement as well, of 13 or $14 million worth, which will reach well into the organizations, corrections and highway patrol, for example.

I'm making it a point to get out, and will continue to get out to every department and agency, particularly now that the legislative session is behind. I've been out to retirement parties already, and I'm identifying on a weekly bases departments where I can go out and meet with leadership teams and get around and meet with as many employees as I can, something that really has never been done before. And I will do everything I can to raise morale, and to make sure that we, as an executive branch, are working effectively, and efficiently, and with a high sense of purpose.

And I do understand that many employees feel that they were hit hard with 213, and perhaps there are misunderstandings as it relates to 213. We have our human resources office that is doing its best under Jeff Harring to get out and articulate what 213 really does mean to all employees, those who have been in class for a long time versus those who are relative newcomers. So we're doing our best in that regard.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: Governor, back to No Child Left Behind. The idea of it, at least as advocated by President Bush when he pushed it, was to force schools to focus on minorities and disabled kids who are left behind. And Utah's record is that we leave these kids behind. There's a 50-year- - As long as we've been giving tests those kids haven't done as well as other kids. If you're going to dilute No Child Left Behind, is there anything you're going to do, or are we going to continue to leave these kids behind?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: That's a very good point, Rod. And this is one of the positive aspects of No Child Left Behind, and that is understanding what we ought to be doing that heretofore we have not done to help those who are left behind. And I met with a large gathering of the Hispanic community, for example, leaders in the Hispanic community last week, and we talked about this very thing. And I told them that I would be willing to look at the PJEP money that was appropriated by the legislature for teacher incentives to really craft an effective English as a second language program. Because as I have talked to teachers and principals, this is a problem. We don't have enough qualified teachers that are able to handle English as a second language, and that is at least one element that's responsible for poor performance.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: Do you intend to say to schools, "We expect you to improve minority scores and the scores of disadvantaged, and we're going to set a goal, and if you don't do it we're going to tell people you haven't done it, the way No Child Left Behind does," or should that just sort of go away, the way it has gone away for the past 50 years?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: I think you're going to see a more proactive stance on our part. And it was very helpful to meet with leaders in the Hispanic community recently to really identify what we need. For example, where are the Hispanic teachers in the system? Where are the Hispanic administrators in the system? Where is more support for English as a second language in our classrooms? These are all areas that we are going to work toward improving, and I think they are absolutely achievable. So yes, you're going to be hearing more about this.

TOM JORDAN, METRO NETWORKS: Does this play into the teacher exchange programs with Spain and Mexico? I know you were dealing with China last week.

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: I think as many of these exchange programs as we can get under way, the better off we're going to be in terms of language assimilation, culture fluency and knowledge, and an awareness more broadly of the world in which we live. I think it's a very, very healthy thing.

RICHARD PIATT, KSL-TV: Governor just really quickly. As far as the special session goes, any other issues that you expect to add to the call?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: There are other issues. I'm not prepared to say what they are now. We have until about 48 hours before the session to kind of finalize that. So I'd say we're meeting with legislative leadership to kind of narrow the gap on what those issues will be.

KEN VERDOIA, KUED: And on that note we are out of this time for this edition of The Governor's Monthly News Conference on KUED. A reminder that a transcript of this and every news conference is available on line courtesy of the Utah Education Network at www.uen.org. Until next time, thanks for joining us, and good night.

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