In a state where coal has driven the economy for decades, there was a landslide vote by the Kentucky Senate on Monday to begin attracting nuclear energy projects to the Bluegrass State.
Republican state Sen. Danny Carroll, who sponsored SB 198, said Kentucky should incorporate a variety of energy sources, such as natural gas and renewable energy in addition to coal, in order to fulfill its energy demands. He emphasized in the bill that his legislation would prepare the state for the future necessity of nuclear energy.
“I believe that Kentucky needs to continue forward with an all-of-the-above approach,” he said. “However, I also firmly believe that nuclear is the future of this commonwealth. And it’s imperative that this commonwealth stay in the forefront and not get left behind.”
In a 34-0 vote, the measure was also championed by “coalfield” senators, who joined in support. By the same count, the Republican-dominated Senate voted in a similar resolution instructing the state Public Service Commission to make preparations for nuclear energy.
The nuclear legislation package coasted through the Senate. It resulted from legislative progress in 2023 that formed the Nuclear Development Workgroup that “identifies the barriers to deploying nuclear power in the state, developing recommendations for how a permanent nuclear energy commission could address those barriers and consulting with state, federal and local agencies as well as nonprofits and stakeholders groups on the role of a permanent nuclear energy commission,” the local radio station WKMS reported.
Carroll has spent years promoting nuclear energy for Kentucky, but insisted Monday that this legislation was not intended to eradicate other energy sources, including coal.
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“I don’t want anyone to be misled or to think that this bill is in any way being critical of coal, natural gas, any of the renewables, any other source of energy that we utilize at this point,” he said.
Over the last 20 years, Kentucky has experienced a dramatic decline in coal, producing about a quarter of the coal it mined in 2000.
