Will Utah join a tri-state nuclear compact with its neighbors?

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Utah is considering a compact with Idaho and Wyoming to advance nuclear technologies.
House Majority Leader Jefferson Moss is sponsoring HCR09, which passed unanimously in committee.
The compact aligns with Utah's Operation Gigawatt and strengthens ties with Idaho National Laboratory.

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah may form a compact with Idaho and Wyoming in the states' pursuit of deploying advanced nuclear technologies, focusing on a regional emphasis that fortifies a united front.

"We've been working on, for a while, finding ways to partner more with some of our neighboring states. We know Idaho and Wyoming share a lot of similar things with us. They share similar geographic, economic landscapes, but also similar goals, ideals and desires on how we want to continue to develop out all of the above energy strategies," said House Majority Leader Jefferson Moss, R-Saratoga Springs.

Moss is sponsoring HCR09 to create the compact, which was heard in the Public Utilities, Energy and Utilities Committee and passed unanimously.

"Our governors have actually started conversations on how we can partner and collaborate together more. And we wanted to take it a step further by creating this interstate compact. So really, what this does is it just creates a framework for us to be able to start working more directly together," he said.

"We've been in conversations with representatives from each of the states. They've all been very excited about this compact. They'll also be running similar types of legislation; with the goal that moving forward, we will be able to start working more together," he added.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during The Advanced Reactors Summit XII and Technology Trailblazers Showcase held by the U.S. Nuclear Industry Council at the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Feb. 18. (Photo: Isaac Hale, Deseret News)

The nonbinding resolution is a nod to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox's Operation Gigawatt, which is an initiative to double Utah's energy production within 10 years.

Eliason said the compact helps solidify the work the state and the University of Utah have already been doing with Idaho National Laboratory west of Idaho Falls.

The Frontiers Initiative with the Idaho National Laboratory was established three years ago and seeks to marry the efforts of eight states that are creating economic development plans focused on the use of advanced nuclear energy. Utah is among half of those states designated as "first mover" states, uniquely positioned and ahead of the game in this arena.

"We have strengthened our position with stakeholders in first mover states — Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Alaska — while adding engagements where increasing interest in advanced nuclear energy intersects with industry needs, including in Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, and South Carolina," said Steve Aumeier, senior adviser at INL.

This compact would amplify those efforts and Eliason's resolution now goes to the full House for consideration.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.