The Emery County Commission's February 17, 2026 meeting notice lists two Valar items: approving or denying a county letter of support to Valar Atomics, and approving or denying an MOU letting Valar perform site suitability testing on parcel 04-0019-0030. This indicates Valar was already studying a site in Emery County beyond the state lab by early 2026. Valar's Castle Country page says the commission backed the project unanimously. The outcome of the MOU item and the parcel's location are not given in the notice; see local.json.

• Emery County Commission Meeting (notice, February 17, 2026) (Utah Public Notice Website (Emery County Commission), 2026-02-17) primary government “allowing them to perform site suitability testing on parcel 04-0019-0030”