A proposal to build a new nuclear plant in rural Colorado failed to win an essential zoning change this week from Pueblo County authorities.
County commissioners voted 3-0 Monday night to deny a special designation for 24,000 acres near Highway 50 between Avondale and Fowler where property owners proposed building nuclear and renewable electricity generation. While the county’s Planning Commission approved the needed zone change in February, county commissioners said the plan lacked critical details on what exactly would be built at the site.
Commissioners expressed concerns about the lack of an obvious water source near the property for a nuclear reactor, the Denver Post reported. One commissioner also objected to the lack of a federal repository for nuclear waste.
Landowners, represented by a local lawyer, do not appear to be working with a specific company to develop the site or build a nuclear plant. According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, there currently are no commercial nuclear reactors in Colorado.