EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah — As the city of Eagle Mountain continues to explore its energy future, residents got the chance to sit down with experts Monday night to talk about all things nuclear power.
It comes after a January meeting in which their city council voted to table a number of zoning changes which would open the door to having small modular reactors (SMRs) and other energy sources built within city limits.
NORTHERN UTAH
Eagle Mountain residents, city council debate possible future nuclear energy
Community members then asked for more careful consideration and research of such a significant move.
Some of those residents, like Joy Rasmussen, still have no shortage of concerns.
“Mainly it’s the location - they want to put it inside the city limits,” said Rasmussen. "The second thing is the cost. Taxpayers will be funding nuclear reactors.”
So there were no shortage of questions for the panel on Monday, which featured guests from the Idaho National Laboratory, the state’s office of energy development and more.
“We want their concerns addressed, and we want experts in the field to address them - so it’s not just city government doing this,” said Tyler Maffitt, a spokesperson for the city of Eagle Mountain.
Dr. Matthew Memmott from BYU says these SMRs have made great technological strides, but it’s typically the negative perception, particularly the fear of radiation, which holds them back.
“In reality, the world is awash with radiation and if we can’t handle the slightest bit of radiation, we shouldn’t be on this planet,” said Dr. Memmott, who is an associate professor of chemical engineering.
The panel noted that large plants have an evacuation plan which plans out to 10 miles. But for modern SMRs, that can be sized down to the boundaries of the nuclear site.
“Not because they’re sacrificing safety - the standards are the same,” Dr. Memmott added. “It’s just that they’re so much more safe, that distance you can be from it and be safe is much, much smaller.”
Maffitt says they hope Rasmussen and others can walk away feeling more informed, while the city can feel more confident in its decisions moving forward.
“We want people to feel really, really good that this is a scientific approach and not just a political one,” Maffitt said.
With learning opportunities like these under their belt and the legislative session at a close, Maffitt says the city will soon look to make its next steps from a policy perspective.
