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Show A12 Castle Valley Review, February 2009 The Nuclear Debate Talk of a nuclear power plant being built in Emery County near Green River stirs a long and often heated debate C. Josie Luke A nuclear power generation plant has not been built in the United States in over 30 years, so perhaps to some the outcry resulting from the report that a company is considering a site near Green River for such a facility could be warranted. But to many county officials and representatives of the company involved, the furor could be compared to a preemptive war. The site the company, Transition Power, is considering is now part of the Mancos Hills Industrial Park, a large industrially-zoned park located west of the city of Green River. The park is designed to generate revenue for SITLA, the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, and to bring high-paying jobs to a community that is economically strapped. The industrial park was developed as a partnership between Emery County and the trust lands administration, to make use of state owned lands that had not been generating revenue. The county signed a development lease with SITLA to act as a marketing agent in November. They are now moving forward, engaging interested companies in negotiations on lease agreements to develop the park. The uproar, though, began even before the agreement on the land was finalized, and even now, before the company has officially announced its choice for a site for the proposed plant. Emery County Economic Development Director Mike McCandless, who spearheaded the drive to develop the park, has stressed since the news first surfaced that the excitement was premature. “They have not made a decision,” he stated. “They are still evaluating all the sites. My role is to just give them the option to see if it’s something they’d be interested in, not to recruit it, just to basically submit the information and let them go through a process.” Aaron Tilton, CEO of Transition Power, confirmed what McCandless said, explaining that the company is still considering four sites for the project. Many have reported, though, that the site is favored because of local support for such a project; a point which Tilton grants. “One of the things that is really interesting for us and really appealing about the Green River site is that we have a lot of local support here. The City of Green River as well as Emery County, specifically, expressed interest and are doing everything that they can to be inviting to have the project be there.” Green River Mayor Pat Brady concurred that there is a lot of local support for the project. He reported that in his experience, he believes a “majority” of the Green River citizens who have been involved in the discussions have expressed a positive view about the possibility of such a project. He attributes such a positive response to the economic situation Green River faces. “The main reason is economics and getting us a strong economic base, and that would certainly do it,” he said. “We have a pretty low income level here. Some parents have to work two or three jobs to support their families. One of the things we want to do as a city is to bring high-paying jobs into the area to strengthen our community.” Even those who are opposed to the nuclear plant grant that the city is in need of an economic boost, but argue there are much safer, and environmentally friendlier, ways to do that. “Green River needs jobs and economic development, but I see a lot of opportunities for other types of jobs related to renewable energy,” explained John Urgo of HEAL Utah, a group that works to engage citizens in efforts to protect public health from nuclear and toxic waste and promote clean energy policies for the state. He explained that the job opportunities were not necessarily in energy generation, but in manufacturing. “There are companies that are all over the West right now looking to build renewable energy manufacturing plants. That’s the type of energy we think works for Green River,” he stated. Urgo’s group, along with a Moab based organization called Uranium Watch have been the main “ proposal from Transition Power Development to build a plant at one of four western sites. Though a final decision has not been made, it has been widely reported that the company is favoring building in the recently developed Mancos Hills Industrial Park near Green River. The reports cite a letter Transition Power sent to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Jan. 30, 2008 which calls the proposal “the Blue Castle Generation Project,” a title which many claim refers to the Blue Castle Butte on the southern edge of the Book Cliffs near the town of Green River. In part, the document states that Transition Power “intends to submit an Early Site Permit Application and/or a Combined License Application for two nuclear units by April 2010. The two units will be part of the Blue Castle Generation Project, to be located in East-Central Utah.” Aaron Tilton, CEO of Transition Power and a former member of the Utah State Legislature maintains though that a final decision has not been made, and no firm date has been set for such an announcement. Still, groups are rallying support against such a proj- One of the things that is really interesting for us and really appealing about the Green River site is that we have a lot of local support here. The City of Green River as well as Emery County, specifically, expressed interest and are doing everything that they can to be inviting to have the project be there. - Aaron Tilton Transition Power players in encouraging citizens to become educated about the industry and in working to halt the possible development. Both Urgo and Sarah Fields of Uranium Watch pointed to several reasons they viewed the possible development as dangerous to the community and to the environment. Along with worries about the company’s handling of the situation, they have both brought forth other concerns, including environmental impacts, the costs of both the project and the power generated, storing the spent fuel, and the amount of water needed to operate such a plant. Since public sentiment has swung in favor of carbon-free and renewable sources of energy, over 20 new proposals have been developed for nuclear power facilities in the United States. Included is the ” ect being built in Emery County. The main players being HEAL Utah and Moab-based Uranium Watch. John Urgo of HEAL Utah and Sarah Fields of Uranium Watch have both been involved in the opposition since early on, attending Emery County Commission meetings, Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration meetings, and public hearings in both Castle Dale and Green River, along with tracking the process through their groups’ websites. Both have expressed concern over how the company has handled the process. “I would have a whole different perspective if Transition Power was an established power company,” Fields related, com- Continued on Next Page. |