Legislature 2009: The Nuclear Option

A bipartisan group of senators has introduced a bill this session "to repeal a 1996 partial ban on the building of nuclear power plants," The Associated Press reports.

Lead sponsor and Kanawha County Sen. Brooks McCabe tells AP "a ban is inconsistent with West Virginia's claim that it is an energy state." But "a lobbyist with the group that helped pass the limited ban questioned why energy-rich West Virginia would bother with the associated risks."

AP explains that "while not forbidding nuclear power plants, the 1996 law sets several hurdles for one. They include a requirement that the country have a dumping site for radioactive waste that has operated safely and effectively for at least two years."

McCabe said such concerns could instead be addressed during the process of developing a nuclear plant project, which he estimated would likely takes decades.

While open to options for helping the nation achieve energy independence, Gov. Joe Manchin "believes that because West Virginia has an abundance of coal that nuclear power is not as practical as the resources already at our hands," a spokesman tells AP.