Pearce, whose organization supports environmental issues, said utility ratepayer dollars "are better invested in technologies that can be brought online this year than they are invested and tied up in technologies that won't be available" for some time.

Huntsman has not ruled out nuclear power as an option to meet the state's long-term energy needs. He describes it as part of a mix of new energy sources that also includes wind and solar power, as well as developing technology to make coal-fired plants cleaner.

"You have to consider all the options out there, including nuclear," the governor said, noting that was the recommendation of his own blue-ribbon task force on climate change. "It's only realistic if you want to look at it as a hard-headed realist over the next generation or two."

But until nuclear waste can be recycled and rendered safe on-site — and the liability issues are dealt with — Huntsman said he's not ready to back a plant in Utah, preferring to focus instead on other sources.

"These are all issues of great concern to the people of this state that will either be addressed effectively over time, or this need will be overtaken by alternative forms of energy," he said.

The governor said his concerns are not unique to Utah. "Concern about where you put waste is such a pervasive one in this country, you're not going to see a lot of movement on nuclear power until such time as this is addressed."

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