Beyond Nuclear - Radioactive Waste What's New

As reported by Steven Verburg in the Wisconsin State Journal, for the fourth time in 13 years, WI legislators are attempting to repeal a now 33-year old ban on the construction of new atomic reactors in the state.

But groups like Clean Wisconsin oppose the legislation:

Nuclear power plants can take a decade or more to build, making them a poor way to respond to urgent needs for alternative energy sources, Clean Wisconsin’s Amber Meyer Smith told the Assembly committee in written testimony.

And radioactive waste must be protected indefinitely from weather, security risks and human error, Smith said.

Update on January 13, 2016 by

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In an article entitled "Assembly approves lifting restrictions on new nuclear power plants" by Molly Beck and Matthew DuFour, the Wisconsin State Journal has reported on the WI State House voice vote approval of a repeal of the 33-year old ban in the state on new atomic reactor construction.

The article reports:

Opponents [of the repeal] say...the bill will open the door to siting of more nuclear waste storage facilities in the state.

The restrictions were enacted after the 1979 meltdown at the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania.

Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, said the state needs to wean itself off coal dependence but that nuclear energy was a dangerous option. She and Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, said studying the use of renewable energy resources is a better option that doesn’t include the safety risks of nuclear energy.

“Let’s be visionary here,” Taylor said. “Let’s be leaders here. The way forward is not nuclear power.”

The article also reported:

The Citizens Utility Board, a ratepayer advocacy group, and environmental groups Clean Wisconsin, the Sierra Club and the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters all have registered in opposition [to the repeal].

On Jan. 15, Assembly Bill 384 was referred to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy.

A date has not been announced for a committee hearing by the WI State Senate on its version of the repeal bill, Senate Bill 288, nor when a full State Senate floor vote would take place, if the legislation passes the Senate committee of jurisdiction.