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January jobs report: Unemployment rate falls to 4%, wages rise more than forecast; Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel; Ten Commandments in public schools debate reaches South Dakota; Virginia ranks among worst states for wage theft; Mexican long-nosed bat makes appearance in Arizona.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

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During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

Utah Watchdogs Voice Concerns Over 'High-Tech' Nukes

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Friday, July 23, 2021   

SALT LAKE CITY -- In the push toward carbon-free energy production, some cities in Utah and nearby states are considering a new type of nuclear reactor to power their future.

The project, partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, aims to bring six small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) online by 2029, including for customers of Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems.

However, watchdog groups warn the "new generation" reactors are untested, and could have high financial and environmental costs.

Scott Williams, executive director of the Healthy Environmental Alliance of Utah, said the new system comes with the same old problems.

"We've been opposed to this project from the beginning, because there's no solution for the high-level waste that it generates," Williams explained. "We're still accumulating that all over the country, and we've never figured out what to do with that. And it's highly, highly toxic."

Williams pointed out a number of power utilities have backed out of various projects using SMRs, and the Utah utility recently cut its commitment from 12 to 6 power units. He noted the main selling point has been the units do not emit greenhouse gases.

Williams observed the financial markets have mostly shied away from backing the project, which means small municipalities in Utah, Idaho and other Western states could be left holding the bag.

"When there's experimental technology that venture capitalists won't put money into, we should be really cautious about having small towns put money at risk for a first-of-its-kind technology," Williams contended.

And when it comes to providing carbon-free energy, Williams argued there are proven, cost-effective technologies available right now.

"There's no way this stuff is going to be online soon enough to start dealing with what we need to do to address climate change," Williams asserted. "It's diverting resources into speculative technology, when we have real technology that we should be ramping up quickly."

The SMRs design has been approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but it will likely be a decade or more before the system is fully licensed and operational.


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