Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1572 3
4
By: Representatives Ladyman, Unger, Beck, S. Meeks 5
By: Senators M. McKee, C. Penzo, Gilmore 6
7
For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO CREATE A TECHNICAL AND LEGAL FEASIBILITY 9
STUDY ON NEW NUCLEAR ENERGY GENERATION; TO DECLARE AN 10
EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 11
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Subtitle 14
TO CREATE A TECHNICAL AND LEGAL 15
FEASIBILITY STUDY ON NEW NUCLEAR ENERGY 16
GENERATION; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. 17
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 19
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SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. TEMPORARY LANGUAGE. 21
(a) Within thirty (30) days after the effective date of this act, the 22
Arkansas Public Service Commission shall engage an outside consulting firm to 23
conduct a technical and legal feasibility study on promoting nuclear energy 24
generation in this state. 25
(b) The consulting firm hired under subsection (a) of this section 26
shall: 27
(1) Be well-established in the nuclear industry; 28
(2) Have a large majority of United States nuclear operators as 29
its customers; 30
(3) Have had nuclear licensing as its primary business for a 31
substantial length of time; 32
(4) Be staffed with nuclear energy and nuclear law experts; and 33
(5) Be neutral with regard to reactor technology and designs. 34
(c) Preference shall be given to a consulting firm that is managed by 35
and owned in substantial part by military veterans with nuclear operating 36 HB1572
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experience from the military veterans' time in military service. 1
(d) The feasibility study shall consider: 2
(1) The advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy 3
generation in this state, including without limitation the economic and 4
environmental impact; 5
(2) Ways to maximize the use of workers who reside in this state 6
and products made in this state in the construction of nuclear energy 7
generation facilities; 8
(3) Evaluations, conclusions, and recommendations on: 9
(A) Design characteristics and evaluation, including 10
specific recommendations of optimal designs based on site characteristics and 11
possible industrial uses; 12
(B) Environmental and ecological impacts; 13
(C) Land and siting criteria, including specific areas 14
that are best suited for new nuclear generation based on the land and siting 15
criteria; 16
(D) Safety criteria; 17
(E) Engineering and cost -related criteria; and 18
(F) Small modular nuclear reactor and microreactor 19
capability; 20
(4) Socioeconomic assessment and impact analysis, including 21
without limitation consideration of the impact on: 22
(A) Workforce education, training, and development; 23
(B) Local and state tax base; 24
(C) Supply chains; and 25
(D) Permanent and temporary job creation; 26
(5) The timeline for development, including areas of potential 27
acceleration or efficiencies and leveraging existing facilities within this 28
state; 29
(6) Additional efficiencies and other benefits that may be 30
gained by coordinating with other advanced, clean energy technologies, 31
including without limitation hydrogen, direct air capture of carbon dioxide, 32
and energy storage; 33
(7) Literature review of studies that have assessed the 34
potential impact of nuclear energy generation in supporting an energy 35
transition; 36 HB1572
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(8) Analysis of national and international studies of cases 1
where development of nuclear energy is supported and adopted; and 2
(9) Assessment and recommendation of current and future policies 3
that may be needed to support or accelerate the adoption of nuclear energy 4
generation or may improve its cost -effectiveness, including a survey of 5
federal programs and other methods that could financially assist a nuclear 6
project in this state. 7
(e) The commission, electric cooperatives, and municipally owned 8
utilities shall cooperate in providing information relevant to the 9
feasibility study as needed, subject to notifications to stakeholders and 10
reasonable safeguards to protect confidential information from being made 11
public. 12
(f) No later than fifteen (15) months after the effective date of this 13
act, the commission shall deliver a written report on the feasibility study 14
to the: 15
(1) Governor; 16
(2) President Pro Tempore of the Senate; 17
(3) Senate majority leader; 18
(4) Senate minority leader; 19
(5) Speaker of the House of Representatives; 20
(6) Majority leader of the House of Representatives; 21
(7) Minority leader of the House of Representatives; and 22
(8) Chairpersons of the Joint Committee on Energy. 23
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SECTION 2. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 25
General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that this act is immediately 26
necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, or safety. 27
Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist, and this act being immediately 28
necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, and safety shall 29
become effective on: 30
(1) The date of its approval by the Governor; 31
(2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, 32
the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the 33
bill; or 34
(3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is 35
overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto. 36