Maine Yankee wants a $2.2 million state sales tax exemption on the storage system being built for spent fuel rods at the defunct nuclear plant in Wiscasset. Although such requests usually are accompanied by a request for a local property-tax break, a company spokesman says that won’t be the case this time because “it wouldn’t be fair to the town.” Given the burden ratepayers will carry for the early closure of this questionably run plant, the issue of being fair to the state was settled long ago.

Phil Knight, head of the sports-gear manufacturer Nike, turns out to be more sensitive than his detractors imagined. Stung by student activism on the issue of sweatshop labor in Third World countries, Mr. Knight has scrapped plans to make a $30 million contribution to the University of Oregon. Perhaps he’ll make up for it with a $7.38 donation to the University of Sri Lanka.

Two top Postal Service executives have been disciplined — one with re-assignment, the other with early retirement — for running up $250,000 in relocation expenses when they moved less than 50 miles and continued working at the same Washington offices. USPS officials say steps have been taken to see that this never happens again. Perhaps they’ll issue a commemorative stamp to affirm this commitment. Something with a porcine motif.

In 1993, Congress passed a law requiring all federal agencies to produce annual reports documenting public benefits, forward-looking leadership and improvement strategies. The first of those reports were turned in last month but, despite having seven years to prepare, most have been found to be utterly unreadable. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee is livid and is demanding an explanation. Just don’t get it in writing, senator.

Vice Adm. Herbert Browne, deputy commander of U.S. Space Command, got himself in hot water with his superiors for remarking the other day that the United States might not feel obligated to intercept an enemy missile bearing down on Ottawa if our neighbors to the north don’t participate in a proposed missile-defense project. Sounds like somebody’s taking Molson Beer’s America-tweaking “Canada Joe” ad campaign a little too seriously.