Who is driving Utah's energy future?
Our state leaders are calling for Utah to become the 'nation's nuclear hub.' Gov. Spencer Cox has claimed that his Operation Gigawatt 'puts Utah in a position to lead the country in energy development, secure our energy future, and remain a net energy exporter while diversifying and expanding our energy resources.' Deciding what energy technologies to pursue in a state involves weighing risks and benefits and determining what risks a community is willing to accept.
This year, Utah's legislature passed HB249, which will create a nuclear energy consortium to guide the state's plans for nuclear energy. However, in the process of passing this bill, we have yet to see a robust discussion of the risks of nuclear energy or meaningful engagement of communities that this development will most impact. While new technology may present new opportunities, we must consider the critical risks of investing so much in nuclear energy. The dangers of nuclear power before and after its operation go beyond the risk of a meltdown and could have devastating consequences for our state.
The uranium boom in the '50s and '60s had devastating impacts on Utah's people and lands, as well as for uranium miners in Navajo Nation. The largest nuclear accident in the U.S. happened in 1979 at the United Nuclear Corporation's Church Rock uranium mill site in New Mexico. A dam broke and released radiation into the Rio Puerco, contaminating drinking water, aquifers, and soil on Diné (Navajo) lands.
Uranium mining and milling are not just a part of Utah's past. Today, the country's last remaining conventional uranium mill is near Blanding, Utah. The mill is owned by Energy Fuels, a company that specializes in uranium and rare earth mineral mining and milling. Recently, the mill accepted uranium from the newly reopened La Sal mine complex in Utah and the Pinyon Plain Mine near the Grand Canyon. Indigenous communities around the region, including the Havasupai Nation, Diné communities, and Ute Mountain Ute Nation, have spoken out on how the nuclear fuel chain disproportionately impacts their communities and lands.
Milling, often overlooked, is a critical part of nuclear energy production. Like the history of nuclearism in this state, this mill disproportionately impacts Indigenous communities, in this case, the local White Mesa Ute community. Community members from White Mesa have fought for years against the mill's contamination of their air and water and desecration of sacred lands. White Mesa Concerned Community, a grassroots group, and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe held a rally this fall at the state capitol. Yolanda Badback, leader of White Mesa Concerned Community, called on the state to regulate and shut down the mill. She stated, 'I want my community to have good air quality and good water resources. We live there, and that's our homeland. And I will never leave my homeland for anything.'
State leaders have failed to listen to and represent the members of their state most impacted by the nuclear industry today. Just this fall, state legislators took a field trip down to the mill to see it for themselves. This visit allowed Energy Fuels direct access to the eyes and ears of state legislators. That same privilege was not offered to those just 5 miles down the road in White Mesa who are most impacted by its operation.
Hearing from impacted communities adds a needed layer to discussions about the safety of nuclear energy, including its entire lifecycle. Nuclear power's lifecycle begins with uranium mining and ends with nuclear waste storage. State leaders claim that nuclear energy is clean and safe. For example, at the committee hearing for HB249, the bill's sponsor, Rep. Carl Albrecht, insisted that new nuclear technology was safe and highly regulated. Yet, the state of Utah recently joined a lawsuit to sue the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reduce regulations on small-modular nuclear reactors. These regulations are necessary to protect our state, public health, and future generations. Will the state also seek to reduce regulations on uranium mining and milling, transport, and waste storage?
Decisions we make about our energy future must be informed by the real lived experiences of members of our community, especially those who bear the brunt of its impacts. As state leaders seek to grow nuclear power in the state, we, as Utahns, must demand that our legislators not only listen to those most impacted but also evaluate the risks of nuclear energy, especially those within the entire lifecycle.
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