Nuclear Power for West Virginia?
Conservation West Virginia is not opposed to nuclear power, which might solve a lot of our climate problems. We hope it will continue to be explored.
On January 21, 2022, the West Virginia House Energy Committee passed out a bill for consideration by the full House (HB 2882) that would repeal the current law governing how a nuclear power plant can be built in WV. That law can be found at WV Code 16-27A-2. Some call this current law a ban on nuclear power when it is no such thing.
Actually, the current law creates reasonable statutory rules for building a nuclear plant. The rules are what we hope will be applied when the question of nuclear power is ultimately decided.
Here are the rules: there must be a safe place to store the nuclear waste, the nuclear plant must be affordable for taxpayers and it must comply with all environmental laws. In the meantime, the existence of the current law does not impede discussion of the issue in any way.
Accordingly, CWV is opposed to HB 2882 and does not want the rules to be repealed. Repeal will leave the administrative agency charged with deciding an application for a nuclear plant without guidance established by the Legislature on what factors to consider. Who knows how that would turn out? No decision in favor of nuclear power should be made without satisfying the spent fuel, cost, and environmental compliance issues.
