Where will Utah get power?

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. doesn't want a nuclear power plant in Utah, at least not until waste and liability issues are cleared up. He made that much clear to reporters last week.

Less clear, however, is what he does support. Renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar or ocean wave generators, get a lot of attention and ought to be encouraged. But they are, at best, decades away from being developed to the point where they could handle more than a tiny percentage of the West's growing energy needs. Coal-fired plants, meanwhile, are quickly losing favor because their CO2 emissions may lead to global warming.

The only thing Utahns seem to agree on is that they support the ability to turn on their lights and power up their computers and air conditioners whenever they want. Beyond that, there seems to be little agreement, despite a growing need.

That need was spelled out recently in this newspaper by Richard Walje, the president of Pacific Corp., the parent company of Rocky Mountain Power. Speaking as part of a panel discussion, he said population growth alone in Utah will give the state a 3,500 megawatt deficit by 2016. That's power people will expect to come from somewhere. Brownouts and energy rationing never have been particularly popular options.

Walje stated the obvious when he said, "Utah has the highest average square footage per household in the country. And those homeowners aren't happy with a swamp cooler, and they want high-definition televisions."

Huntsman appointed a blue ribbon task force to look at climate change and related issues in Utah. It came up with a number of recommendations, but nuclear power was far down the list. State lawmakers, meanwhile, are much more warm to the idea and are looking at ways to encourage nuclear production in Utah.

Frankly, lawmakers have the right idea, so long as they include proper safeguards. Yes, nuclear plants produce radioactive fuel rods that so far have become a huge environmental issue. But these could be reprocessed and, perhaps with the help of a government subsidy, marketed for reuse. The liability issue is less vexing. The mere fact the governor and others have to reach back nearly 30 years to the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania is a testament to the safety of nuclear generation. No one was injured in that accident, and it is the only major incident in the history of U.S. nuclear power facilities.

The main question remains. Given the state's enormous power needs, if coal and nuclear generators are off the table, what is the solution?