Wisconsin Ends New Nuclear Moratorium
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed into law today Assembly Bill 384, lifting the state’s moratorium on new nuclear plants. Walker signed the bill at the Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Former ANS President Dr. Michael Corradini, ANS member Dr. Paul Wilson, and other members were instrumental in providing information to the legislature during the hearing process in 2015, and were present at the signing.
"Efforts to educate policymakers about the value of nuclear energy are slowly but surely beginning to pay off," said ANS President Gene Grecheck. "Our members in Wisconsin played a major role in providing that information, including ANS student members at the University of Wisconsin. We applaud Governor Walker and the state legislature for allowing the presentation of facts that resulted in a beneficial outcome for Wisconsin residents."
WEI director and distinguished professor of engineering at UW-Madison Michael Corradini noted, “It is fitting that a law allowing for the exploration of carbon-neutral energy solutions has been signed at UW-Madison’s hub of energy research, where our discoveries truly benefit the people of Wisconsin.” WEI is home to a number of researchers working across traditional academic boundaries to investigate the potential impacts—both scientific and social—of next-generation nuclear energy systems.
The state enacted a moratorium in 1983 that prevented the creation of new nuclear plants until a federal facility capable of handling all spent nuclear fuel was built, and required new plants be economically advantageous to ratepayers.
