Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday his department has not decided yet whether to fight a federal court ruling that keeps alive plans for a nuclear-storage site in western Utah’s Skull Valley.

“What we will do is examine the [July 26 court] decision and the findings of the judge and make some decisions,” said Salazar, in Utah for public “listening sessions” at a downtown Salt Lake City hotel.

Judge David Ebel ruled last week that Interior had not properly considered all the facts when it rejected requests by the Skull Valley Band of Goshutes and its business partners for a right of way and final approval of a lease. The judge’s decision had the effect of reviving a nuclear-waste proposal Utahns thought their leaders had killed four years earlier.

By stopping short of saying Interior would appeal the court ruling, Salazar disappointed — at least for now — waste-site opponents. Utah’s five members of Congress asked Interior last week to challenge the ruling.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, also attending Tuesday’s public forum, noted that Salazar had no comment about his agency’s position on the storage site.

“The state’s position he understands very clearly,” Herbert said, “and that is to have a nuclear spent rod depository above ground 45 miles from our capital city is a difficult issue for us to, in fact, support.”

Also on Tuesday, Alan Gilbert, an aide to Salazar, met with Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson and representatives from the offices of Republican Reps. Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz to talk about the proposed waste site.

Salazar noted Interior has 60 days to decide what to do. “We will remain in contact with the governor,” he said, “as well as the Utah [congressional] delegation.”