The Wisconsin state assembly will vote in January on legislation that could open the door for new nuclear power plants, a spokeswoman for Speaker Robin Vos said.
The effort to roll back restrictions on nuclear power that were put in place after the 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, can be readily described as a political football. Republicans have tried twice in the past to repeal the restrictions, while Democrats in the state have tried once. The current effort, lead by Republicans, included bipartisan support at the committee level with four Democrats joining nine Republicans in a 13-0 vote of approval in the Assembly's Committee of Energy and Utilities.
The restrictions, which have stymied new nuclear plant construction in Wisconsin, mandate that power plants must be have a long-term storage plan for radioactive waste and must prove nuclear power is economically advantageous to ratepayers.
As it stands, the economic picture is bleak. Dominion Power, owners of the fourth nuclear power plant in the state, the Kewaunee Power Station in Carlton, Wis., on the western shore of Lake Michigan, elected to close that plant in 2012 for economic reasons, shortly after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted Dominion a 20-year license extension, which allowed commercial operations to continue until 2033.
The industry is facing headwinds in Wisconsin due to the availability of cheap natural gas and government subsidies for renewable energy sources, the Chippewa Herald reported.
The question of spent fuel storage is also bleak. The federal government in 2010 dropped its consideration of Nevada's Yucca Mountain for long-term storage after decades of study. The federal government is now fishing around for alternative options.
Many Republicans and business leaders in Wisconsin, however, are also challenging the federal Clean Power Plan, which could provide leverage for nuclear power. The bills under consideration in the state's assembly, bills Assembly Bill 384 and Senate Bill 288, would put nuclear power ahead of coal or natural gas on a list of guidelines used by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission when it considers construction plans presented by utility companies.
The state's Senate, however, has yet to schedule a hearing on the bills at the committee level, but Senate Marjority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said through a spokeswoman that he would discuss them with other Senate Republicans.