By Dan Conti/Chad Lampe
Frankfort, KY – The Kentucky Senate's natural resources and environment committee approved a bill Wednesday that amends a state law requiring nuclear power plants have a means for permanently disposing of high-level nuclear waste. Instead, bill sponsor and Paducah Senator Bob Leeper says in legislature audio from KET such facilities would simply need a storage plan.
"By replacing the requirement that a final storage facility or technology must be in operation we put Kentucky on an equal footing with approximately 40 other states. Some people don't realize there's actually operating nuclear facilities in 31 states currently."
Leeper says nuclear power should be part of Kentucky's future energy mix. He says it's ironic that the Commonwealth has a moratorium on the construction of nuclear plants when Paducah is home to a facility that produces enriched uranium to fuel nuclear operations all over the world.