Rep. Aaron Tilton, R-Springville, and Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, defended their involvement in a proposed nuclear power plant during a meeting Wednesday of the Legislature's Public Utilities and Technology Interim Committee.

The meeting was conducted by Noel, who is the committee's chairman. Tilton is a member of the committee. Tilton is an owner of Transition Power Development, a private equity group that wants to build a nuclear power plant in Utah, while Noel is director of the Kane County Water Conservancy District, which would supply the water the plant would need.

Witnesses before the legislative committee, including a former head of the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, spoke in favor of nuclear power. Nobody was called to speak for people who oppose nuclear power, and the public was not invited to comment, although the meeting room at the Capitol Complex was packed.

Meanwhile, Reed Searle, director of the Intermountain Power Agency, told the Deseret Morning News that he is retiring from IPA to join Transition Power Development.

The Kane County water district has received $10,000 for signing a contract with Transition Power and stands to receive varying amounts in the future, up to $1 million a year once the plant starts to produce power.

Until this week, few knew of plans for the plant, other than principals and the water district. The Deseret Morning News broke the story Tuesday on the proposed nuclear power plant and the legislators' potential conflicts of interest.

Although the committee had discussed a bill to help regulated utilities pay for nuclear power plants through ratepayer funds before construction begins, both representatives said they had no conflict of interest.

In the committee meeting Wednesday, an obviously perturbed Noel reiterated that he and Tilton had no conflicts of interest.

"Each of us (lawmakers) has a life outside the Legislature," Noel said. "Mine happens to be with the Kane County Water Conservancy District and my cows down in southern Utah."

The district is a municipal entity, and he is paid a salary. "I don't get any extra salary" for bringing in new customers, he said.

The district acquired water rights 10 years ago from Andelex Coal. Noel has mentioned on the House floor that the district held the water rights and a great use for them would be for a nuclear power plant in southern Utah.

The people of Kane County lost out on a coal mine and a power plant, Noel said Wednesday, and they would benefit from a nuclear power plant. He said he feels strongly that Utah needs to look at "all different forms of power."

Other people at the committee meeting who spoke in favor of nuclear power plants were David Hill, deputy director for science and technology for the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, and Nils Diaz, former chairman of the Nuclear Regulator Commission. No witnesses were called who opposed generating nuclear power in Utah.