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- Utah's House committee advanced a bill to explore nuclear energy development.
- The bill proposes creating the Utah Energy Council and Nuclear Energy Consortium, among other things.
- Some lauded its potential, while others voiced concerns with cost, safety and financial transparency before the vote.
SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that would set up a new development body and other entities to welcome trendy, but controversial nuclear energy has cleared its first hurdle in the Utah Legislature.
Members of the House Public Utilities and Energy Committee voted unanimously Monday to advance HB249, following a "robust" discussion from both sides of the discussion. The wide-ranging bill, sponsored by Rep. Carl Albrecht, R-Richfield, seeks to create the Utah Energy Council, Nuclear Energy Consortium and Energy Development Investment Fund while also establishing a process for the state to designate energy development zones.
"Energy production, security and reliability is a statewide issue. Utah is trying to get ahead of this," he told the committee before the vote.
Albrecht argued that nuclear might be the best carbon-free option to handle a growing number of data centers in the state, each of which requires 50-500 megawatts to operate. That's on top of the state's growth, which is pushing its energy needs.
His bill, which he acknowledges has many "moving parts," would establish a decision-making council tasked with creating project development goals, while identifying where projects might be constructed on state land. Members would also create research recommendations and administer a new fund tied to development.
Members would be appointed by the Utah Governor's Office, as well as Senate and House leaders and the Utah Office of Energy Development.
The measure would also create the process for counties and municipalities to create energy zones should they want them, while also setting up rules for how incentives are provided.
Meanwhile, the state's San Rafael Energy Lab Board would also be renamed the Utah Energy Research Board to reflect energy research changes within the state, among other things.
It wouldn't designate a nuclear plant right away; Albrecht and others estimate that Utah is at least a decade out from having an operational plant.
However, it comes as Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has focused heavily on nuclear energy in recent months as he has discussed the state's growing energy needs, mentioning it in his State of the State address last week. He also asked for the Utah Legislature to invest over $20 million in nuclear power in his proposed budget before the legislative session.
HB249 also received support from a handful of agencies, companies and organizations, including the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Utah Mining Association, EnergySolutions and High Tech Solutions, on Monday.
"The nuclear consortium that is created here will give us a leg-up, bringing up the best minds. This bill is how Utah goes nuclear," said Joel Ferry, director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, who spoke on behalf of a state energy director out "working on nuclear issues" in London.
However, others voiced concerns about how the bill is structured, the cost of generating power and the overall safety of nuclear energy.
Katelyn Balakir, a senior policy associate for the Healthy Environmentment Alliance of Utah, called for the bill to be tabled to sort out issues the organization has with how funding — created by differentials in property tax generated by development — is handled. She voiced concerns about transparency about how taxpayers money is spent with how the system is set up.
She said costs can be "unsustainable" as well. That's an issue that resident Frances Benfell was called in to address, pointing to the already rising cost of power in the state.
Then there's safety, which has been the biggest holdup to nuclear energy. Partial or full meltdowns at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, and Fukushima, Japan, highlight the risks associated with nuclear energy.
"Nuclear energy is powerful. It can also be incredibly dangerous to all the living things on this planet," said Mike Maxwell, a former nuclear power generation industry expert who now volunteers for a few groups, including the Healthy Environmentment Alliance of Utah.
Others pointed to the health issues of downwinders in southern Utah — those impacted by nuclear radiation after nuclear bomb testing — as an example of what could go wrong.
Albrecht agreed that his bill is a "work in progress," but he said it can be adjusted with time. He also contends that most major issues have been caused by above-ground nuclear testing, while energy costs will likely start high but shrink with time, as is the case for most new forms of energy.
"It's not perfect, but it's a start — and we have to start somewhere," he said.
The committee agreed, passing the measure with a 10-0 vote. It now heads to the House floor for a full vote. The Legislature has until the end of March 7 to pass all bills.
If approved by then, the bill will go into law in May.
