Utah Legislators Reject Nuclear Power; Approve Renewable Energy Amendment

Legislators have rejected an amendment that would have encouraged development of nuclear power in Utah. During a joint meeting of two legislative interim committees on Tuesday, Rep. Bradley Daw, R-Orem, recommended adding language to an energy bill that would encourage Utah to develop nuclear power to generate electricity. “At our own peril of overconsuming oil and other resources, we should not ignore nuclear energy,” Daw said. “There are several countries that have been very successful in productive nuclear programs.” Daw said he had toured a nuclear facility at Diablo Canyon, Calif., and “found it to be an amazing facility. We should look very closely in this state at promoting nuclear energy.” The Diablo Canyon Power Plant is owned by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and provides power to 1.6 million California homes, about 20 percent of PG&E’s total customer base, according to a company Web site. Utah’s governors, legislatures and congressional delegations have been battling the Goshutes’ proposal to host on their Skull Valley reservation a temporary storage facility for spent nuclear-reactor rods. One of the arguments opponents of the proposal has used is that the state does not use nuclear power and should not have to be a repository […]

Read More