Wisconsin lifts nuclear moratorium

April 4, 2016 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

A moratorium on nuclear in Wisconsin has been lifted, paving the way for building new nuclear energy facilities.

Credit: alex_ugalek
/freedigitalphotos.net

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed Assembly Bill 384 repealing the moratorium on building new nuclear energy facilities, which had been in place for 33 years.

This law also formally amends state policy to list nuclear among a host of conservation, efficiency and non-emitting technologies for state and local decision-makers to consider in meeting new energy demand.

The bill had support from co-sponsors, Representative Kevin Petersen and Senator Frank Lasee, Chairmen Mike Kuglitsch and Robert Cowles, Speaker Robin Vos, Senators Scott Fitzgerald, Jennifer Shilling and Dave Hansen, and others.

"The legislation's strong bipartisan support owes heavily to the broad, diverse coalition of supporters who mobilized in favor of the moratorium repeal," said Alex Flint, Nuclear Energy Institute's senior vice president of governmental affairs. "It brought together Wisconsin's skilled building and construction trades, the business and manufacturing community, and longtime environmental activists, who recognize the important role played by the existing nuclear capacity in serving the state's economic, electricity reliability, and clean air priorities. They were united in urging that nuclear energy should be an available option in meeting future energy demand growth."

Governor Walker signed the bill at the University of Wisconsin, widely considered one of the world's premier nuclear engineering programs.

For more:
- see this fact sheet

http://www.smartgridnews.com/story/bye-bye-ban-wisconsin-lifts-nuclear-moratorium/2016-04-04