The Nuclear Debate
UPHE’s president and co-founder, Dr. Brian Moench, emphasized the serious public health, safety, and environmental concerns tied to nuclear development. Nuclear facilities generate radioactive waste that remains dangerous for thousands of years, with no permanent, fail-safe disposal solution. Every phase of the nuclear process, from mining, to storing waste, poses major risks. As Dr. Moench asked, “Where’s the water going to come from? What sort of safety zone are they going to establish? What sort of evacuation plan do they have? How large of an area are we talking about? What kind of system are we using? Where is the waste going to be stored?”
Beyond safety risks, nuclear projects require massive upfront investment and decades-long construction timelines, diverting resources away from faster, safer, and more affordable clean energy solutions. As this proposal moves forward, UPHE believes communities deserve clear answers, transparent planning, and a full accounting of the long-term health and environmental risks before nuclear power is brought into Utah neighborhoods.
We will have a lot more to say about this in the future, but we oppose nuclear reactors for multiple reasons. It is the most expensive way there is to boil water and create steam to generate electricity, far more expensive than wind, solar, and battery storage.
Every phase of the nuclear fuel cycle, from the mining of uranium to the storage of toxic waste and decommissioning of the reactors releases radioactivity into the broad environment, i.e. our air, water and soil, even without any accidents. The problems of reactor safety and safe storage of waste have not been solved, especially along the Wasatch Front and the high likelihood of earth quakes. Nuclear power plants take much longer to build than renewables. Eventual decommissioning is necessary, costly, and hazardous.