House Speaker Roger Hanshaw is cooperating with his counterpart in Virginia to work toward an economic and regulatory landscape where nuclear-powered energy sources could thrive.
Hanshaw’s office put out a release on Thursday to describe a partnership with Virginia’s House speaker, Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah. Hanshaw recently met with Gilbert to talk about opportunities in both states to embrace small modular nuclear reactors.
“These units can be built on old coal mining sites, and we already know we have the skilled machinists, engineers, welders and fabricators who can support the nuclear industry,” Hanshaw, R-Clay, stated in the release.
“Virginia has experience with nuclear already, and just as we locked arms with our border states to the north on shale gas development, we believe we are uniquely situated to collaborate to lead the way in this emerging economy, and so together we are putting a serious focus on doing just that in the coming year.”
Hanshaw said the two state leaders are eager to develop an East Coast hub for the development and deployment of small nuclear reactors, affirming that no region in the country will be more welcoming to the innovation, the jobs and the investment that small modular nuclear reactors provide.
“No two states are better positioned to work together on becoming the most hospitable location for the next generation of nuclear power facilities,” Hanshaw added.
During this past year’s regular legislative session, West Virginia representatives lifted a longstanding ban on nuclear energy production.
West Virginia instituted a ban on nuclear power production in 1996, with a law that addresses concern about waste disposal along with questions over economic feasibility. Senate Bill 4 lifted that ban.
The text of the bill was less than a page. “Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia: Repeal of the article banning construction of nuclear power plants.”
Much of the discussion has focused on possibilities from small modular reactors, which can generate power at just a fraction of the size of a conventional nuclear power reactor.
This week, the House leaders in Virginia and West Virginia emphasized that the next wave of nuclear power is expected to provide clean, reliable, affordable power while creating new jobs and economic diversity.
“Virginia has already benefitted from nuclear power for many years,” Gilbert stated in the release. “Nothing works harder, longer, safer or more reliably than a nuclear power plant.”