Editor:

Emery County is poised to sell the majority of land in the new Green River Industrial Park. This is reserved for the construction of up to four nuclear reactors and uranium mill to a private equity group run by state Rep. Aaron Tilton and Energy Path Corporation of North Carolina. This is done with the hope to provide Utah with cheap and affordable energy. The reality is that nuclear power will bring more harm to the state. This includes poor air quality, waste in Green River and, most of all, high electricity bills.

According to HEAL Utah, electricity from a nuclear reactor will be two to three times more than what people of Utah currently pay. This is a massive project that costs approximately $12 billion per reactor. This means the expenditure of Utahns’ tax dollars. This is not worth the risk as currently people need energy that is affordable and will not saddle our state with future economic hardships.

Instead of incurring expenses in this economic recession, the Green River can be used as a major hub for the manufacturing and distribution of components of renewable energy. These embrace electricity generators like wind, solar and geothermal sources.

It is important to take action now than to encounter devastating effects of the nuclear industry.

Refilwe Jeremiah,
Masters Program,
Social Work