The Office of the United States Nuclear Waste Negotiator was a short-lived 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.[1] It was created under the auspices of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.[2]
Although the agency was created in 1987, it remained without a head until 1990,[3] when President George H. W. Bush appointed former Idaho Lieutenant Governor David Leroy, a Republican, to be the first United States Nuclear Waste Negotiator.[4] [5] 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 Machiavellian and Orwellian.[6]
In 1993 President Bill Clinton replaced Leroy with former Democratic Congressman Richard Stallings, also from Idaho.
The agency was eliminated in 1995.[7]
| Name | State of Residence | Year appointed | President(s) served under | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Leroy | Idaho | 1990 | George H. W. Bush | |
| Richard Stallings | Idaho | 1993 | Bill Clinton |