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Fact loc-029

newrecordconfirmed Carbon and Emery move to share a $60,000 consultant to chase coal, gas, nuclear and manufacturing deals
2026-08-19 · loc-029 · Carbon County Commission, Emery County Commission, Utah Public Affairs Consulting, Valar Atomics · joint Carbon-Emery economic development consulting agreement (Carbon approved 19 Aug 2026): $60,000

Carbon County Commission minutes, 19 August 2026, item 9 (the item right after the 'Valor Atomics presentation'): commissioners approved, contingent on Emery County's approval, on Commissioner Haddock's motion seconded by Commissioner Jensen (the motion carried), a joint $60,000 consulting agreement with John Cox of Utah Public Affairs Consulting 'to identify and secure economic development opportunities' across coal, natural gas, nuclear and advanced manufacturing, split $30,000 each with Emery County; Carbon's half comes from unused economic-development consulting funds; the commission approved it contingent on Emery's approval. Emery County's 1 September minutes approve 2027 rural county grant projects that include $30,000 (printed '$30,00') for a 'potential Economic Development Consultant' (the grant money comes from the state's rural county grants); one commissioner said he would rather Emery had its own consultant, not one shared with Carbon; on 15 September the commission 'agreed to move ahead with a possible partnership' with Carbon to hire the consultant (ETV). No record read shows the signed agreement, the contract text, or whether the consultant has any tie to Valar or other nuclear developers. On the same 19 August item 8, the minutes record Valar saying it 'relocated to the region from California two years ago'; Valar's job board still lists 71 of its 92 openings in Torrance, California (loc-019), and its Carbon claim notice gives a Torrance address (orig-036).

In plain termsThe two counties agreed to share the cost of a paid consultant whose job is to bring in new industry, nuclear included. That is public, and legal, but it shows the counties are actively recruiting, not just reacting. The contract itself, and any link between the consultant and particular companies, would come out in a GRAMA request to either county.
verified 2026-09-29: Re-read the Carbon 19 Aug minutes (page images), the agenda, Emery's 1 Sept minutes and ETV 21 Sept: holds. Correction 2026-09-30 (commission records check): the minutes name Haddock as mover and Jensen as seconder

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