State lawmakers across the country push for more nuclear

Colorado: GOP state Sen. Larry Liston’s annual exercise of introducing a pronuclear bill may maked inroads this year in the Colorado General Assembly, even though the measure has stalled in previous sessions. Liston has drawn bipartisan support this year for legislation to add nuclear energy to the state’s definition of clean energy, which would make new funding and development sources available for the technology, the Denver Post reported.

State Rep. Alex Valdez, a Denver Democrat supporting the bill in the House, said his backing grew as he searched for clean energy sources to meet the state’s growing electricity demands—not just from households and electric cars, but from industrial needs, like data centers for emerging technologies, he told the Post.

Connecticut: A very open-ended bill introduced in the Connecticut Senate will serve as a vehicle for proposals “to improve service and reduce costs for electric ratepayers in the state,” as written in the bill’s purpose statement. The legislation, dubbed the “Ratepayers First Act,” is one of Senate Democrats’ top priorities this session, but thus far does not include any specific plans, the Hartford Courant reported.

The state gets almost all its electricity from natural gas plants and its lone nuclear facility, the Millstone nuclear power plant. Connecticut put a hold on new nuclear power projects four decades ago, but lawmakers made an exception to allow advanced nuclear reactor deployment at Millstone.

This new legislation could open doors for small modular reactor deployment in other parts of the state.

“Nuclear is part of the solution of our energy future,” said state Sen. Ryan Fazio, the ranking Republican on the Energy and Technology committee, according to the Hartford Courant. “It’s environmentally friendly. It’s reliable. And it can be affordable. . . . But it needs to be part of our energy future.”

Indiana: Several bills working their way through both legislative chambers in Indiana would help nuclear companies defray the cost of building an SMR in the state. A Senate bill that advanced from committee last week would create a pilot program for two SMRs and allow the tech companies driving the need for more power to share in the cost, Indiana Public Radio reported.

Also, a wide-ranging House bill would create a 20 percent tax credit for nuclear companies that decide to build in the Hoosier State, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle. The state classifies SMRs as no larger than 470 megawatts even though the reactors are broadly classified as 300 megawatts or smaller.

“We need reliable sustainable energy; and if we’re going to match that with green, environmental, carbon-free energy, it’s going to be nuclear,” Indiana Rep. Andy Zay told the Senate Utilities Committee, as reported by news station WNDU. “Wind and solar, even if we double capacity, will not cut it.”

Minnesota: A House bill looks to to cancel Minnesota’s 31-year-old moratorium on new nuclear plants, and Republican legislators have moved it up on their agenda, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Nuclear supporters hope the rising demand for energy, especially clean energy, will spur more support—especially in a state where law requires a carbon-free grid by 2040. In addition, Democratic lawmakers have approved legislation the past two years to study SMRs, the Star Tribune reported.

North Dakota: A House bill under consideration would launch a study—with a $500,000 budget—on bringing advanced nuclear technology to South Dakota, Inforum reported.

Lawmakers are generally in agreement that more power plants are needed in North Dakota, but there’s debate about which technology to use. A study was commissioned in 2023 by lawmakers on the costs of building a coal plant with carbon dioxide capture, which, according to Inforum, is a technology that has not proven viable at a large scale, If approved, the study on nuclear would focus on advanced technology.

Oregon: A ballot initiative filed Monday would repeal two major roadblocks for nuclear:

• That there be a federally licensed, permanent disposal facility for radioactive waste before any new plant can open.
• That the development of any nuclear plant be approved by a statewide vote.

The requirements became law in Oregon from a 1980 ballot measure that passed with only 53 percent of the vote, Willamette Week reported. The state has committed to reducing its carbon emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, and nuclear power advocates see the technology as part of the solution.

“The citizens of Oregon recognize the need for reliable, clean, and efficient energy sources to meet current and future demands. Nuclear energy provides a low-carbon, sustainable energy source that complements renewable energy initiatives,” a petitioner wrote in his filing.

Utah: A House bill under consideration would establish a state nuclear energy consortium, along with a Utah Energy Council and energy development zones. The Deseret News reported that State Rep. Carl Albrecht seeks to make Utah an energy innovation to attract future microreactors or SMRs.

“We’ve got to start somewhere,” Albrecht said during House Public Utilities and Energy Committee hearing on the bill, according to Deseret News. “This will not be a plant tomorrow or the next day or the next year. This plant generation is going to be 10 to 15 years down the road, and hopefully technology improves and we generate power with zero carbon.”