Kentucky on verge of lifting nuclear moratorium
A bill that would overturn a three-decade-old law that effectively bars construction of nuclear power plants in Kentucky is on the verge of passing the General Assembly and being sent to Gov. Matt Bevin for his signature.
Senate Bill 11 would get rid of a mandate that any nuclear power plants have access to a permanent disposal facility for their radioactive wastes, which can remain dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years. They'd only have to have a plan to manage those wastes.
Already successfully through the Senate, Sen. Danny Carroll's bill passed a House committee on Tuesday and was sent to the House floor for a vote, where one of its long-time critics, Kentucky Resources Council director Tom FitzGerald, said he expects it will pass.
"We've had 15 years of arguing over this," FitzGerald said Wednesday, observing that his organization withdrew its opposition this year as new wording was added to make sure all costs of nuclear energy would be weighed before allowing any plants to be constructed in Kentucky.
Read more: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/ky-legislature/2017/03/08/kentucky-verge-lifting-nuclear-moratorium/98893026/