Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HB1572 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
2		-	Act 707 of the Regular Session
3		-	ANS110 04-02-2025 14:23:16 ANS110
4		-
5		-	State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H3/19/25 H3/31/25 H4/2/25 1
	2	+	ANS110 02/25/2025 7:57:21 AM ANS110
	3	+	State of Arkansas 1
6	4		95th General Assembly A Bill 2
7	5		Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1572 3
8	6		4
9	7		By: Representatives Ladyman, Unger, Beck, S. Meeks 5
10	8		By: Senators M. McKee, C. Penzo, Gilmore 6
11	9		7
12	10		For An Act To Be Entitled 8
13		-	AN ACT TO CREATE A TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY ~~STUDY ON NEW~~ 9
14		-	NUCLEAR ENERGY GENERATION; TO DECLARE AN ~~EMERGENCY;~~ 10
15		-	AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 11
	11	+	AN ACT TO CREATE A TECHNICAL AND LEGAL FEASIBILITY 9
	12	+	STUDY ON NEW NUCLEAR ENERGY GENERATION; TO DECLARE AN 10
	13	+	EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 11
16	14		12
17	15		13
18	16		Subtitle 14
19		-	TO CREATE A TECHNICAL ~~FEASIBILITY STUDY~~ 15
20		-	ON NEW NUCLEAR ENERGY ~~GENERATION; AND TO~~ 16
21		-	DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. 17
	17	+	TO CREATE A TECHNICAL AND LEGAL 15
	18	+	FEASIBILITY STUDY ON NEW NUCLEAR ENERGY 16
	19	+	GENERATION; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. 17
22	20		18
23	21		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 19
24	22		20
25	23		SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. TEMPORARY LANGUAGE. 21
26		-	(a) Within ~~sixty~~ (60) days after the effective date ~~that~~ this act is 22
27		-	~~funded, the Department of Energy and Environment~~ shall engage an outside 23
28		-	~~consulting firm to~~ conduct a technical feasibility study on ~~implementing~~ 24
29		-	~~nuclear energy~~ generation in this state. 25
	24	+	(a) Within thirty (30) days after the effective date of this act, the 22
	25	+	Arkansas Public Service Commission shall engage an outside consulting firm to 23
	26	+	conduct a technical and legal feasibility study on promoting nuclear energy 24
	27	+	generation in this state. 25
30	28		(b) The consulting firm hired under subsection (a) of this section 26
31		-	shall ~~be selected based on the extent to which the consulting firm meets the~~ 27
32		-	~~following criteria:~~ 28
33		-	(1) ~~Be well-established~~ ~~in the~~ nuclear ~~industry;~~ 29
34		-	~~(2) Have a large majority of United States nuclear operators as~~ 30
35		-	its ~~customers;~~ 31
36		-	~~(3) Have had nuclear licensing as its primary business for a~~ 32
37		-	~~substantial length of time~~; 33
38		-	(4) Be ~~staffed~~ with ~~individuals who have knowledge~~ and ~~expertise~~ 34
39		-	~~in:~~ 35
40		-	~~(A)~~ Nuclear ~~reactor design and operation;~~ 36 ~~As Engrossed: H3/19/25 H3/31/25 H4/2/25~~ HB1572
	29	+	shall: 27
	30	+	(1) Be well-established in the nuclear industry; 28
	31	+	(2) Have a large majority of United States nuclear operators as 29
	32	+	its customers; 30
	33	+	(3) Have had nuclear licensing as its primary business for a 31
	34	+	substantial length of time; 32
	35	+	(4) Be staffed with nuclear energy and nuclear law experts; and 33
	36	+	(5) Be neutral with regard to reactor technology and designs. 34
	37	+	(c) Preference shall be given to a consulting firm that is managed by 35
	38	+	and owned in substantial part by military veterans with nuclear operating 36 HB1572
41	39
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	41	+	experience from the military veterans' time in military service. 1
	42	+	(d) The feasibility study shall consider: 2
	43	+	(1) The advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy 3
	44	+	generation in this state, including without limitation the economic and 4
	45	+	environmental impact; 5
	46	+	(2) Ways to maximize the use of workers who reside in this state 6
	47	+	and products made in this state in the construction of nuclear energy 7
	48	+	generation facilities; 8
	49	+	(3) Evaluations, conclusions, and recommendations on: 9
	50	+	(A) Design characteristics and evaluation, including 10
	51	+	specific recommendations of optimal designs based on site characteristics and 11
	52	+	possible industrial uses; 12
	53	+	(B) Environmental and ecological impacts; 13
	54	+	(C) Land and siting criteria, including specific areas 14
	55	+	that are best suited for new nuclear generation based on the land and siting 15
	56	+	criteria; 16
	57	+	(D) Safety criteria; 17
	58	+	(E) Engineering and cost -related criteria; and 18
	59	+	(F) Small modular nuclear reactor and microreactor 19
	60	+	capability; 20
	61	+	(4) Socioeconomic assessment and impact analysis, including 21
	62	+	without limitation consideration of the impact on: 22
	63	+	(A) Workforce education, training, and development; 23
	64	+	(B) Local and state tax base; 24
	65	+	(C) Supply chains; and 25
	66	+	(D) Permanent and temporary job creation; 26
	67	+	(5) The timeline for development, including areas of potential 27
	68	+	acceleration or efficiencies and leveraging existing facilities within this 28
	69	+	state; 29
	70	+	(6) Additional efficiencies and other benefits that may be 30
	71	+	gained by coordinating with other advanced, clean energy technologies, 31
	72	+	including without limitation hydrogen, direct air capture of carbon dioxide, 32
	73	+	and energy storage; 33
	74	+	(7) Literature review of studies that have assessed the 34
	75	+	potential impact of nuclear energy generation in supporting an energy 35
	76	+	transition; 36 HB1572
43	77
44		-
45		-	(B) Studies of and expertise in the feasibilities of 1
46		-	various nuclear reactor technologies and designs; 2
47		-	(C) Nuclear reactor licensing, regulation, and law; and 3
48		-	(D) Nuclear reactor siting; and 4
49		-	(5) Be neutral with regard to reactor technology and designs. 5
50		-	(c) Preference shall be given to a consulting firm that is managed by 6
51		-	and owned in substantial part by military veterans with nuclear operating 7
52		-	experience from the military veterans' time in military service. 8
53		-	(d) The feasibility study shall determine: 9
54		-	(1) The advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy 10
55		-	generation in this state, including without limitation the economic and 11
56		-	environmental impact; 12
57		-	(2) Conclusions and recommendations on: 13
58		-	(A) Optimal design specifications based on site 14
59		-	characteristics, possible industrial uses, and reactor technology maturity; 15
60		-	(B) Land and siting criteria, including specific areas 16
61		-	such as data centers, existing energy facilities, military bases, and 17
62		-	industrial activities requiring process heat that are best suited for new 18
63		-	nuclear generation; 19
64		-	(C) Safety criteria required; 20
65		-	(D) Engineering services required; 21
66		-	(E) The feasibility of implementing all commercially 22
67		-	licensable and available nuclear generation technologies, including small 23
68		-	modular nuclear reactors and microreactors; 24
69		-	(F) Criteria for how well the technologies under 25
70		-	subdivision (d)(2)(E) of this section are tested and if there are any cases 26
71		-	of successful research or commercial operation of the technologies; and 27
72		-	(G) Site transportation and electric transmission 28
73		-	capabilities; 29
74		-	(3) Socioeconomic assessment and impact analysis, including without 30
75		-	limitation consideration of the impact on: 31
76		-	(A) Workforce education, training, and development; 32
77		-	(B) The local and state tax base; 33
78		-	(C) Supply chains; and 34
79		-	(D) Permanent and temporary job creation; 35
80		-	(4) The timeline for development, including areas of potential 36 As Engrossed: H3/19/25 H3/31/25 H4/2/25 HB1572
81		-
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83		-
84		-
85		-	acceleration or efficiencies and leveraging existing facilities within this 1
86		-	state; 2
87		-	(5) Literature review of studies that have assessed the 3
88		-	potential impact of nuclear energy generation in supporting an energy 4
89		-	transition; 5
90		-	(6) Current and future policies that may be needed to support or 6
91		-	accelerate the adoption of nuclear energy generation or may improve its cost -7
92		-	effectiveness, including a survey of federal programs and other methods that 8
93		-	could financially assist a nuclear project in this state; and 9
94		-	(7) Through an evaluation by a third party, the technical 10
95		-	accuracy and independence of the written report under subsection (f) of this 11
96		-	section. 12
97		-	(e)(1) The consulting firm hired under subsection (a) of this section 13
98		-	shall engage and consult with the Department of Energy and Environment, the 14
99		-	investor-owned electric utilities, and the electric generation and 15
100		-	transmission cooperatives in conducting the feasibility study. 16
101		-	(2) The Department of Energy and Environment, the investor -owned 17
102		-	electric utilities, and the electric generation and transmission cooperatives 18
103		-	shall cooperate in providing information to the consulting firm hired under 19
104		-	subsection (a) of this section that is conducting the feasibility study as 20
105		-	needed, subject to notification to the investor -owned electric utilities, and 21
106		-	the electric generation and transmission cooperatives and reasonable 22
107		-	safeguards under applicable state law, including without limitation § 23 -2-23
108		-	316, to protect confidential information from being disclosed and made 24
109		-	public. 25
110		-	(3) The consulting firm hired under subsection (a) of this 26
111		-	section shall engage and consult with the Department of Energy and the 27
112		-	Environment, the investor -owned electric utilities, the electric generation 28
113		-	and transmission cooperative, and nuclear reactor and generating facility 29
114		-	manufacturers in conducting the feasibility study to establish reasonable 30
115		-	safeguards under state law to protect intellectual property and design 31
116		-	criteria necessary for the study to protect confidential information and 32
117		-	intellectual property from public disclosure. 33
118		-	(f) No later than fifteen (15) months after the effective date of this act, 34
119		-	the department shall deliver a written report on the feasibility study to 35
120		-	the: 36 As Engrossed: H3/19/25 H3/31/25 H4/2/25 HB1572
121		-
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123		-
124		-
125		-	(1) Governor; 1
126		-	(2) President Pro Tempore of the Senate; 2
127		-	(3) Majority leader of the Senate; 3
128		-	(4) Minority leader of the Senate; 4
129		-	(5) Speaker of the House of Representatives; 5
130		-	(6) Majority leader of the House of Representatives; 6
131		-	(7) Minority leader of the House of Representatives; and 7
132		-	(8) Chairpersons of the Joint Committee on Energy. 8
133		-	9
134		-	SECTION 2. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 10
135		-	General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that there is not a continuous 11
136		-	adequate supply of power to Arkansas citizens and businesses; that a 12
137		-	technical feasibility study of new nuclear energy generation could provide 13
138		-	valuable information as to how to maintain a continuous adequate supply of 14
139		-	power to Arkansas citizens and businesses; and that this act is immediately 15
140		-	necessary because maintaining a continuous adequate supply of power to 16
141		-	Arkansas citizens and businesses is vital. Therefore, an emergency is 17
142		-	declared to exist, and this act being immediately necessary for the 18
143		-	preservation of the public peace, health, and safety shall become effective 19
144		-	on: 20
145		-	(1) The date of its approval by the Governor; 21
146		-	(2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, 22
147		-	the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the 23
148		-	bill; or 24
149		-	(3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is 25
150		-	overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto. 26
151		-	27
152		-	/s/Ladyman 28
153		-	29
154		-	30
155		-	APPROVED: 4/16/25 31
156		-	32
157		-	33
158		-	34
159		-	35
160		-	36
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	79	+	(8) Analysis of national and international studies of cases 1
	80	+	where development of nuclear energy is supported and adopted; and 2
	81	+	(9) Assessment and recommendation of current and future policies 3
	82	+	that may be needed to support or accelerate the adoption of nuclear energy 4
	83	+	generation or may improve its cost -effectiveness, including a survey of 5
	84	+	federal programs and other methods that could financially assist a nuclear 6
	85	+	project in this state. 7
	86	+	(e) The commission, electric cooperatives, and municipally owned 8
	87	+	utilities shall cooperate in providing information relevant to the 9
	88	+	feasibility study as needed, subject to notifications to stakeholders and 10
	89	+	reasonable safeguards to protect confidential information from being made 11
	90	+	public. 12
	91	+	(f) No later than fifteen (15) months after the effective date of this 13
	92	+	act, the commission shall deliver a written report on the feasibility study 14
	93	+	to the: 15
	94	+	(1) Governor; 16
	95	+	(2) President Pro Tempore of the Senate; 17
	96	+	(3) Senate majority leader; 18
	97	+	(4) Senate minority leader; 19
	98	+	(5) Speaker of the House of Representatives; 20
	99	+	(6) Majority leader of the House of Representatives; 21
	100	+	(7) Minority leader of the House of Representatives; and 22
	101	+	(8) Chairpersons of the Joint Committee on Energy. 23
	102	+	24
	103	+	SECTION 2. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 25
	104	+	General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that this act is immediately 26
	105	+	necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, or safety. 27
	106	+	Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist, and this act being immediately 28
	107	+	necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, and safety shall 29
	108	+	become effective on: 30
	109	+	(1) The date of its approval by the Governor; 31
	110	+	(2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, 32
	111	+	the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the 33
	112	+	bill; or 34
	113	+	(3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is 35
	114	+	overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto. 36