Utah Gov. Spencer Cox wants nuclear energy to power the Beehive State. And halfway through this year’s legislative session, Utah lawmakers have signaled they feel the same way.
HB249, sponsored by Rep. Carl Albrecht, R-Richfield, would lay the groundwork for a nuclear-powered future in Utah. The bill sailed through the state House with unanimous approval and is working its way through the Senate.
“We need to be on the cutting edge as the state of Utah, as we are on a lot of things, and start down this nuclear path,” Albrecht said about his bill in January, “to make us an energy leader in the West and the United States.”
Gov. Cox announced “Operation Gigawatt” last fall, a plan to double Utah’s energy production within the next decade, to fight what he calls the state’s “looming energy crisis.” This year, he wants to put $20.4 million toward developing infrastructure for nuclear power as part of that plan.
Albrecht’s bill, if it passes, could help achieve Cox’s goal.
The 25-page bill would establish the Nuclear Energy Consortium to advise the Utah Office of Energy Development and the Legislature on nuclear energy development.
The legislation would also help create “electrical energy development zones,” areas designated by the state for new energy development projects.
Utah counties and municipalities would be able to apply to create a zone in their community as long as their applications include a development plan, projected local economic benefits and evidence of local support. Those counties and municipalities would have to give some of the tax revenue generated by an electrical energy development zone to the state.
The bill also forms the Utah Energy Council to review those applications and ease development of other energy projects in the state like power plants, transmission lines and energy storage facilities. The council will include representatives from the Legislature, Office of Energy Development and Gov. Cox’s office and can put money towards projects from the Energy Development Investment Fund, which the bill also creates.
In a statement, Cox said that the bill “represents a critical step forward in solving one of the great challenges of our time: energy security.”
Creating the energy consortium and state energy council, Cox said, will bring industry leaders and policymakers together to “advance nuclear power as a reliable, safe, and clean energy source.”
“Nuclear power, particularly advanced, small modular reactors (SMRs), offers a promising path to meet our growing energy demands while reducing emissions and making Utah a national energy exporter,” Cox said. “I’m grateful for the Legislature’s leadership on this issue and I support HB 249 as a key component of a future of energy abundance, built here.”
Katelyn Balakir, a policy associate with the nonprofit Healthy Environment Alliance (HEAL) of Utah, voiced concerns about the Utah Energy Council when HB249 was discussed in committee.
The council, she said, would have “the authority to spend taxpayer dollars,” but its “members are appointed and therefore not directly accountable to the public.”
The council should discuss potential energy solutions, like nuclear, “in the public forum before authorizing taxpayer dollars to be spent by an unelected council.”
Albrecht acknowledged that it will take time to get nuclear power going in Utah. The bill, he said on the House floor Feb. 5, is “a bridge to get us from where we are to somewhere down the road, 10 to 12 years, to nuclear facilities in the state of Utah.”
And while his bill is named “Nuclear Power Amendments,” he said the legislation could open doors to other energy development in the state, like natural gas, battery storage, wind, solar or geothermal.
But some Utah communities don’t want nuclear development in their backyards — at least, not yet.
Eagle Mountain, Utah’s third-fastest growing city, in January considered allowing small nuclear reactors, natural gas power plants and battery storage systems by altering their city code. But a host of local residents spoke against the proposed change.
Balakir, in her comments during committee, added that “past nuclear energy projects in Utah should serve as a cautionary tale for the importance of transparency, especially around cost and investment decisions.”
She referred to the cost of nuclear development — nuclear is among the most expensive power sources — and the failure of the Carbon Free Power Project. Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems gave up on that project in 2023, which was a plan to power 27 communities with small nuclear reactors by 2029.
Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, also said he believes nuclear power “will be part of our energy solution” when introducing his own bill, SB216.
That legislation would streamline the expansion of nuclear waste facilities in the state, like EnergySolutions’ Clive Disposal Facility located 75 miles west of Salt Lake City. Casey Hill, a lobbyist for EnergySolutions, said the radioactive waste storage facility is running out of room for the waste it can accept during a committee hearing for the bill.
The Clive site currently accepts low-level radioactive waste, which doesn’t include spent nuclear fuel. McKell’s bill also proposes that radioactive waste facility owners pay a tax on the waste they receive. The revenue from that tax would fund new energy development across the state.
SB216 passed out of the Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee on Feb. 5, but it has not yet cleared the full Senate.
