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State launches nuclear outreach as Emery County approves sale of industrial parcel to Valor Atomics
Summary
Tracy Reese of the Utah Office of Energy Development briefed Emery County on a statewide nuclear education and community engagement campaign; the commission approved a purchase-and-sale agreement to sell parcel 04-0019-0030 to Valor Atomics for $394,500 to support the firm's planned expansion.
Tracy Reese, deputy director of the Utah Office of Energy Development, told the Emery County Commission on May 19 that the state is rolling out a county-by-county public education and engagement campaign about nuclear energy tied to Governor Cox’s Operation Gigawatt.
Reese said the effort aims to give communities factual, locally tailored information so residents can decide whether nuclear projects make sense for them. "If it isn't safe, our office isn't gonna do it," Reese said, emphasizing the office’s focus on safety and on bringing subject-matter experts to public events. She described a two-track campaign that combines local, grassroots workshops with a mass‑communications component including billboards, TV, radio and an informational website.
Reese described pilot work in Millard, Tooele and Weber counties and named partners including Envoy Public Labs (community engagement), GLO Communications and Voncom for mass communications. She said subject-matter experts (SMEs) will generally participate without pay and that events will be customized — from county fairs in smaller communities to multi‑workshop formats in larger counties. Reese added that the state is looking at modern small modular reactors and stressed that newer passive safety systems reduce operator dependence.
Commissioners asked about safety distances, regulatory oversight and who pays SMEs; Reese said the state will arrange subject-matter experts and follow up with the commission to scope an Emery County event that addresses local concerns.
Later in the meeting the commission approved a purchase-and‑sale agreement to sell county-owned parcel 04-0019-0030 to Valor Atomics for $394,500. The county reported that appraisals were averaged to set the asking price and that Valor plans to expand operations in the industrial park area. The commission approved the agreement in a roll-call style vote by the two members present.
Why it matters: The state’s outreach campaign signals an effort to prepare communities for potential new nuclear projects and to answer technical and safety questions locally. At the same time, the county’s agreement with Valor Atomics represents a concrete step to host nuclear‑industry activity that could bring local jobs and economic development — while also raising community interest in safety, siting and long-term infrastructure implications.
Provenance: The article draws from the state presentation and Q&A given by Tracy Reese (SEG 120 to SEG 556) and the purchase-and-sale discussion and vote approving parcel 04-0019-0030 with Valor Atomics (SEG 1401 to SEG 1450).
Actions taken: The commission approved the purchase-and-sale agreement for parcel 04-0019-0030 to Valor Atomics at a stated asking price of $394,500; the vote passed with the two commissioners present voting yes.
