PUEBLO, Colo. (KXRM) — It was a heated town hall in Pueblo on March 27 as County Commissioners shared a report about a proposal for a nuclear power plant in the Steel City.
The proposed nuclear power plant would replace Comanche Three Power Plant which is set to close in 2031. County Commissioners said they wanted something to fill the loss of jobs and impact on the tax base from the closure of the coal plant.
A study presented at the town hall found that a nuclear plant would be the best replacement for keeping jobs as other zero or low-emission technology to replace Comanche Three would not produce as many jobs.
“We build a plant here, we get all these union guys who get really good at it. The world needs thousands of these plants, and I see no reason why we can’t have a factory building plants here in Pueblo for the whole planet, not just Pueblo,” said Kirk Sorensen, President and Chief Technologist, Flibe Energy.
However, the opposition to the plant comes from concerns about the waste created by the operation of a nuclear power plant. Jamie Valdez, Colorado State Manager for Mothers Out Front, said waste stays radioactive for up to and even longer than 21,000 years creating a worry for future generations.
“We would be writing a check that we would be expecting our future generations to figure out how to cash,” said Valdez.
County leaders said they will continue to gather community feedback on the proposal.
Brett Yager
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