St. George Spectrum

ST. GEORGE - With only a few regulatory hurdles remaining, a nuclear power plant in Utah may not be that far off in the state's future.

The state does, however, have other options, besides nuclear, with renewable energy sources ranging from solar, wind and geothermal, said Eric Spreng, community outreach coordinator for HEAL Utah.

The Healthy Environment Alliance has scheduled a free presentation Thursday to cover the essential facts and discuss what it terms as "many of the myths" surrounding nuclear power as well as explore the vast untapped potential of renewable energy sources.

"There is so much potential with wind, solar and geothermal and we are starting to see projects come on line," Spreng said. "I don't think nuclear is necessary with the green renewable technology."

The concerns with nuclear power stem from the fact that Emery County has sold 1,500 acres to Aaron Tilton of Transition Power, which plans to build nuclear reactors.

The state water engineer will soon consider an application to transfer Colorado River water rights from Kane County to the proposed site at Green River.

The presentation will look at what that means for Southern Utah in regards to water, jobs, energy and the environment.

Spreng said HEAL became aware of the potential nuclear power plant about 18 months ago and said it raises questions about how it would benefit Utah.

Spreng said nuclear power is not cheap and uses a lot of water. Plus, there is the problem of disposing of spent nuclear fuels.

Power from the proposed plant may be exported to neighboring states, leaving Utah with all of the liabilities and none of the benefits of nuclear power, Spreng said.

Paul Van Dam, executive director of Citizens for Dixie's Future, said he planned on attending the HEAL Utah event.

Van Dam said CDF isn't specifically involved in all the issues, but said both organizations are in the same line of business.

As far as a nuclear power plant in Utah, Van Dam said there are numerous questions -- the water issue and the safe disposal of nuclear waste -- and the answers are not forthcoming, which concerns CDF.

In addition to its concerns with nuclear power, Spreng said HEAL Utah isn't a big fan of burning coal for power, either, and said there are many ways to solve energy needs and that a larger focus on energy efficiency improvements is needed.

"Our organization is focused on influencing public policy and our state lawmakers need to hear from us before making decisions to go forward," Spreng said.

Additional Facts
Info Box

HEAL Utah will present a discussion about nuclear power as well as information about the untapped potential of renewables Thursday at the St. George Main Library. The library is located at 88 W. 100 South and the presentation is scheduled for Community Room B. The presentation starts at 6:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Anyone is welcome on a first come basis. For more information about Heal Utah, visit the Web site at http://healutah.org/. For more information about Citizens For Dixie's Future, visit www.citizensfordixie.org.