Representative defends nuclear power, says 'untested' claim is inaccurate

A Questioner at the Utah Debate Commission forum raised concerns about nuclear power in Southern Utah, saying some local residents, including "downwinders," are apprehensive and that an opponent had called nuclear power "untested and unsafe."

The Representative responded that he had "spent my whole life in downwinder country" and said he is sensitive to those concerns, but rejected the broad characterization that nuclear power is untested. "Saying that it's untested is not accurate," he said, and pointed to U.S.-designed plants under construction in Europe and to Valor Atomics' recent first criticality as evidence that technologies are being proven and improved.

He added that early technologies often have limitations but that private investment and iteration make them more economical and reliable over time. The forum transcript records this exchange as discussion; no policy decision or vote on nuclear development was taken at the event.