What you can do
Nothing is built or permitted in Carbon County yet. Where, when and how residents still have a say.
Nothing has been built or permitted in Carbon County yet. Every step still ahead (county permits, water, state and federal approvals) is a place where residents have a say. Here is where, when, and how.
Sources: csite-001
The printable handout with the source for every line · PDF.
Dates to watch
| 2026-10-06 | 4:30 p.m., Carbon County Planning Commission, Commission Chambers, 751 E 100 N, Price (in person only). No Valar item is listed; the planners' rules for 'highly contested industries' are still being drafted and do not mention nuclear. Its one permit item is a technology park east of Wellington for Altigen JS, LLC (no record links it to Valar). No public-comment period is listed. dir-015, csite-013 |
| 2026-10-07 | 4:30 p.m., Carbon County Commission, regular first-Wednesday meeting, 751 E 100 N, Price. Agenda not posted as of Sept 29 (the last one went up six days ahead). Ask the commissioners to say on the record that Valar's Section 16 campus needs a county permit with notice and a public hearing, and to start the contested-industry rule change before Valar applies. dir-016, csite-015, dir-014 |
| 2026-10-12 | About when Valar's RW 453 location notice must be recorded with the Carbon County Recorder (30 days after Sept 12). dir-004 |
| 2026-11 | Carbon County Planning Commission: planned public hearing on rules for large, contested projects and data centers. csite-013 |
| 2026-12-11 | Deadline for Valar to record the RW 453 claim with BLM (90 days after Sept 12). dir-005 |
Show up: the decisions still ahead
The county's planners are drafting rules for large, contested industries and data centers: where they may go, and what conditions they must meet (water, heat, power, the county's finances). A public hearing is planned for November 2026, before the rules are finished at year's end. Ask that nuclear facilities be covered, that projects like these require a public hearing, and that emergency planning, fuel storage, transport routes, water use and cleanup bonds be conditions.
The Trust Lands memo says building on the square mile north of Wellington that the state approved leasing to Valar goes through Carbon County's conditional use permit, with notice and a public hearing. None has been filed yet. State law limits a county's say over state land, so the signed lease, not yet public, will show whether Valar agreed to county approvals. Where the permit applies, state law says the county must approve it if conditions can reasonably reduce the harms, so the conditions are where residents make a difference.
Utah law requires 24 hours' notice, agendas that say what will be decided with reasonable specificity, and minutes within 30 days. A body may not take final action on a topic that is not on its agenda. If an agenda does not say what is really being decided, say so in public comment, and in writing.
The Carbon campus plan includes data centers. A 2026 Utah law requires a county to notify the state's water regulators before approving a large data center, and the operator to report its expected water use. Ask the county and the state whether it applies here.
Ask the questions that have to be answered
What fuel is in the reactor now running in Emery County? Valar's safety agreement and DOE's own shipping review disagree. What mineral is Valar's RW 453 claim for? Where will spent fuel go? What is the emergency plan for Wellington and Emery County?
The safety analysis, operating limits and signed startup approval for Ward 250 have not been made public. Anyone can ask DOE for them under the Freedom of Information Act (the template is below).
Get the records yourself
Utah agencies generally have 10 business days to respond to a GRAMA request; federal agencies about 20 working days under FOIA. Copies can carry fees, so ask them to waive fees because the records serve the public. Ready-to-send requests are below: fill in your name and address.
The RW 453 lode claim was located on September 12, 2026. Utah law requires the location notice to be recorded with the Carbon County Recorder within 30 days (by about October 12), and federal rules require recording with BLM within 90 days (by December 11). After those dates, ask the Recorder and BLM's Price Field Office for every claim filed by Valar Atomics.
Reach the people who decide
They signed the letter supporting the Carbon lease (how it was approved is not in the records read) and will decide the county permit. The commissioners meet the first and third Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. in Price; recent agendas list no public-comment period, so ask the chair to be heard, or write to them.
It approved the lease in Salt Lake City, where no one spoke against it. Ask the board to name the applicant and the use in its public notices, and to hold hearings in the county affected.
The state approved up to $106.7 million in tax credits for Valar on an agenda that did not name the company. Ask your legislators for rules that require agendas to name the company and the use.
Valar has three pending land applications there, including a 10,270-acre reactor and data-center 'gigasite' near Green River. Ask for the case files, and to be told when public comment opens.
Spread the word
Every finding here links to its source, so anyone can check it. Stick to what the records show; that is what cannot be argued away.
Records requests, ready to send
Copy one, fill in your name and address, and send it as it says. Keep a copy and the date you sent it.
Utah Trust Lands Administration: the Carbon County lease (GRAMA)
Send to: Utah Trust Lands Administration, GRAMA Officer (Utah Open Records Portal, or by mail/email to the agency).
Under the Government Records Access and Management Act (Utah Code 63G-2), I request copies of the following records about the Special Use Lease / Other Business Arrangement for Section 16, Township 14 South, Range 11 East, SLB&M, Carbon County (SULA 2095), with Valar Atomics Inc: 1. The application and all attachments, and the date it was received. 2. Notices, agendas, minutes and recordings of any board committee meeting at which the lease or Valar was discussed in 2026, including the July 2026 committee meetings. 3. Correspondence between the Administration and Valar Atomics, Carbon County, or the Utah Office of Energy Development about this parcel, January 1, 2024 to the present. 4. The Resource Development Coordinating Committee (RDCC) submission for this parcel (posted April 20, 2026) and any comments received. 5. The executed lease or agreement. 6. The certified-mail list, the newspaper affidavit of publication, and the RDCC recipient list for the public notice of this application. I prefer electronic copies. I request a fee waiver under Utah Code 63G-2-203(4): the records concern a proposed nuclear facility on public trust land, and releasing them primarily benefits the public. Name: ____________ Mailing address: ____________ Phone: ____________ Email: ____________
Carbon County: the commission's support for the Wellington site (GRAMA)
Send to: Carbon County Clerk / GRAMA Officer, Carbon County, Price, Utah.
Under GRAMA (Utah Code 63G-2), I request copies of: 1. Any letter or resolution from Carbon County, or any commissioner in an official capacity, supporting Valar Atomics or the lease of Section 16, T14S R11E, and any draft of it. 2. Correspondence between Carbon County (commissioners, attorney, planning staff) and Valar Atomics, the Utah Trust Lands Administration or the Utah Office of Energy Development about Valar or that parcel, January 1, 2024 to the present. 3. Any agenda, minutes or recording of a county meeting at which that letter or the Valar project was discussed. 4. The RDCC notice the county received on or about April 20, 2026, and any county response. 5. From the County Recorder: every mining claim location notice (and any amendment) recorded by or for Valar Atomics Inc since September 1, 2026, including the "RW" lode claims in T14S R11E, SLM, with recording dates. I request a fee waiver under Utah Code 63G-2-203(4) (public interest). Name: ____________ Mailing address: ____________ Phone: ____________ Email: ____________
Utah Department of Natural Resources / Office of Energy Development: San Rafael Energy Lab safety (GRAMA)
Send to: Utah Department of Natural Resources, GRAMA Officer (for the Office of Energy Development).
Under GRAMA (Utah Code 63G-2), I request copies of the following records for the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab (USREL), 800 N Coal Haul Rd, Orangeville: 1. The requisition and position description for the Safety Manager position (job requisition 2646, posted September 25, 2026), showing whether it is a new or existing position, and the position history of any earlier safety manager or environmental, health and safety lead at USREL since January 1, 2025 (titles and dates only). 2. USREL's environmental, health and safety program documents, emergency preparedness or emergency response plan, and any agreements with local fire, EMS or emergency management. 3. Contracts, task orders and scopes of work for safety, radiation-protection or nuclear-safety services at USREL since January 1, 2025. 4. Agreements between the Office of Energy Development and Valar Atomics for use of the USREL site. I request a fee waiver under Utah Code 63G-2-203(4) (public interest). Name: ____________ Mailing address: ____________ Phone: ____________ Email: ____________
Utah DEQ, Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control: radioactive-materials licenses (GRAMA)
Send to: Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control, GRAMA Officer.
Under GRAMA (Utah Code 63G-2), I request copies of: 1. Any radioactive-materials license (and its conditions and amendments) issued to the Utah Office of Energy Development, the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab, or Valar Atomics. 2. Inspection reports, notices of violation, and incident or event reports for those licensees since January 1, 2025. 3. Correspondence with Valar Atomics or the Office of Energy Development about reactor fuel, radioactive materials, or radioactive waste at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab or in Carbon County. I request a fee waiver under Utah Code 63G-2-203(4) (public interest). Name: ____________ Mailing address: ____________ Phone: ____________ Email: ____________
U.S. Department of Energy, Idaho Operations Office: Ward 250 (FOIA)
Send via: the DOE FOIA request portal, addressed to the Idaho Operations Office FOIA Officer.
Under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), I request copies of the following records about the Ward 250 test reactor operated by Valar Atomics at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab, Emery County, Utah: 1. The approved Documented Safety Analysis, including its Technical Safety Requirements, and the Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis. 2. DOE's approval letters for the Nuclear Safety Design Agreement, the PDSA, the DSA and startup, and any approval to operate above 100 kWth. 3. Records stating the enrichment of the fuel loaded in Ward 250. 4. The categorical exclusion determination and its supporting record (NEPA) for Ward 250. 5. Occurrence reports and records of any event or noncompliance at Ward 250. I request a public-interest fee waiver: disclosure will contribute significantly to public understanding of the safety review of a reactor operating in a rural Utah community, and I have no commercial interest. Name: ____________ Mailing address: ____________ Phone: ____________ Email: ____________
Bureau of Land Management, Price Field Office: Valar's land applications and claims (FOIA, or ask first)
Send to: BLM Price Field Office, 125 South 600 West, Price, UT 84501. Many case files are public: ask at the counter
I request copies of the case files for the following matters, and any NEPA documents for them: 1. UTUT106784007, "Green River Gigasite Small Modular Reactor/Data Center" (applicant Valar Atomics). 2. UTUT106801248, "Project Beehive Small Modular Reactor/Data Center" (applicant Valar Atomics). 3. UTUT106833224, pipeline / distribution-line right-of-way (applicant Valar Atomics). 4. Any notice of intent to locate mining claims, 43 CFR 3809 notice or plan of operations, or mining-claim recordation filed by or for Valar Atomics Inc in Carbon or Emery County, including the "RW" lode claims located in September 2026 in T14S R11E, SLM. 5. The Master Title Plat and land-status records for T14S R11E, Section 28, SLM. I request a public-interest fee waiver. Name: ____________ Mailing address: ____________ Phone: ____________ Email: ____________
Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity (GOED): Valar's $106.7 million tax credit (GRAMA)
Send to: Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity, GRAMA Officer (Utah Open Records Portal).
Under GRAMA (Utah Code 63G-2), I request copies of the following records about the post-performance refundable tax credit (REDTIF) approved for Valar Atomics Inc on July 9, 2026 (up to $106,737,499, Emery County): 1. The incentive agreement, if executed, and the board materials for the July 9, 2026 item. 2. The record classification decision for those records under Utah Code 63G-2-305(35), including any written business-confidentiality claim by Valar Atomics under 63G-2-309. 3. The unredacted or least-redacted July 9, 2026 board minutes. 4. Any local incentive approved or proposed for this project, and any incentive application or discussion concerning a Valar project in Carbon County. I request a fee waiver under Utah Code 63G-2-203(4) (public interest). Name: ____________ Mailing address: ____________ Phone: ____________ Email: ____________