EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah (KUTV) — Eagle Mountain city officials have discussed using land south of the city for nuclear reactors, but some residents are vehemently opposed to the idea.
Tuesday night discussions were on the table for what land surrounding the city could be used for under city code, if the city were ever to gain control of it.
The Eagle Mountain City Council considered whether to revise their annexation policy plan — a city policy that gives leaders a framework for what certain areas are allowed to be used for, should they come under the city’s control.
“Eagle Mountain has had the same annexation policy plan since 2018. Since that time in the last six or seven years, Eagle Mountain has changed pretty significantly,” said Tyler Maffitt, communications manager for Eagle Mountain.
A new map showed six different areas around the city the council is looking at.
“There’s no, like, huge expansion of Eagle Mountain that’s imminent. We have received no petitions for that. The city council and city at this time is not pursuing that. This is just the policy that says, ‘hey, if that arises in the future, here’s what it might look like,'” Maffitt said.
The part of the plan that caught Eagle Mountain resident Joy Rasmussen’s attention was Area 2 — which is listed as a possible site for “small modular nuclear facilities.”
“It basically gives them the ability to be considered by the private landowners who own the land in Area 2, could go to Eagle Mountain and say, ‘hey, would you annex us? And we want to allow nuclear reactors on our land,'” Rasmussen said.
She has created a petition with hundreds of signatures to stop that from happening.
“I don’t want nuclear reactors near our city or inside our city. I think it needs to be in the middle of nowhere on military lands, government lands, like far away from people,” Rasmussen said, “So that, if there’s a problem, if there’s an issue — an earthquake, a fire, any kind of unforeseen problem — it wouldn’t affect citizens, children; it wouldn’t affect our water, our health.”
KUTV asked the city: would Area 2 be far enough away from the city for use like that?
“The intent by planning out Area 2 and a future annexation policy plan is to ensure that it has sufficient distance from residential areas,” Maffitt said, “Eagle Mountain has put some significant thought into the safety of small modular reactors; it’s pairing with the community; how it complements the overall goals and needs of the community; and, we have heard our residents loud and clear that safety is a concern and that its nearness to residential areas is something to be addressed.”
The city council meeting was scheduled for Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
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