Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB274 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	Session of 2025
2	2	SENATE BILL No. 274
3	3	By Committee on Federal and State Affairs
4	4	2-18
5	5	AN ACT concerning energy; relating to the state corporation commission;
6	6	requiring the commission to engage a consulting firm to conduct a
7	7	technical and legal feasibility study on new nuclear energy generation
8	8	in this state; making and concerning appropriations for the fiscal year
9	9	ending June 30, 2026, for the state corporation commission.
10	10	Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
11	11	Section 1. (a) (1) To provide information that may assist future
12	12	legislative and regulatory efforts to craft forward-looking nuclear energy
13	13	policy, the state corporation commission shall engage an outside
14	14	consulting firm to conduct a technical and legal feasibility study regarding
15	15	the promotion of nuclear energy generation in this state. The commission
16	16	shall choose a consulting firm that:
17	17	(A) Is well-established in the nuclear industry and has been in
18	18	existence for more than 35 years;
19	19	(B) currently has or has had at least 90% of the existing nuclear
20	20	operators in the United States as a customer within the preceding 10 years;
21	21	(C) has earned 50% of the firm's revenue from nuclear licensing over
22	22	the preceding 20 years; and
23	23	(D) is staffed by a licensed attorney who has experience in assisting
24	24	entities with submitting and obtaining regulatory licenses, certifications
25	25	and approvals for new reactor designs pursuant to 10 C.F.R. part 52.
26	26	(2) In addition to the foregoing requirements, if competent to perform
27	27	such services as defined in K.S.A. 73-201(a)(2), and amendments thereto,
28	28	the commission shall give preference to a consulting firm that is managed
29	29	by and has at least 40% of the firm's assets owned by one or more
30	30	individuals who are military veterans and whose military service included
31	31	nuclear operating experiences.
32	32	(3) The provisions of K.S.A. 75-3739 et seq., and amendments
33	33	thereto, shall not apply to any contract established pursuant to this section.
34	34	(b) The feasibility study conducted by such firm shall consider the
35	35	following:
36	36	(1) The advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy generation in
37	37	this state, including, but not limited to, the economic and environmental
38	38	impacts;
39	39	(2) ways to maximize the use of workers who reside in this state and
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76	76	products made in this state in the construction of nuclear energy generation
77	77	facilities;
78	78	(3) evaluations, conclusions and recommendations on the following:
79	79	(A) Design characteristics and evaluation, including specific
80	80	recommendations of optimal designs based on site characteristics and
81	81	possible industrial uses;
82	82	(B) environmental and ecological impacts;
83	83	(C) land and siting criteria, including specific areas that are best
84	84	suited for new nuclear generation based on the land and siting criteria;
85	85	(D) safety criteria;
86	86	(E) engineering and cost-related criteria; and
87	87	(F) small modular nuclear reactor and microreactor capability;
88	88	(4) socioeconomic assessment and impact analysis, including, but not
89	89	limited to, the following:
90	90	(A) Workforce education, training and development;
91	91	(B) local and state tax base;
92	92	(C) supply chains; and
93	93	(D) permanent and temporary job creation;
94	94	(5) the timeline for development, including areas of potential
95	95	acceleration or efficiencies and leveraging existing facilities within this
96	96	state;
97	97	(6) additional efficiencies and other benefits that may be gained by
98	98	coordinating with other advanced, clean energy technologies, including,
99	99	but not limited to, hydrogen, direct air capture of carbon dioxide and
100	100	energy storage;
101	101	(7) literature review of studies that have assessed the potential impact
102	102	of nuclear energy generation in supporting an energy transition; and
103	103	(8) assessment and recommendation of current and future policies
104	104	that may be needed to support or accelerate the adoption of nuclear energy
105	105	generation or may improve its cost-effectiveness, including a survey of
106	106	federal programs and other methods that could financially assist a nuclear
107	107	project in this state.
108	108	(c) The state corporation commission, public utilities, cooperatives
109	109	and municipally owned utilities shall cooperate in providing information
110	110	relevant to the feasibility study, as needed, subject to notifications to
111	111	stakeholders and reasonable safeguards to protect confidential information.
112	112	Any record provided to the consulting firm pursuant to this section shall be
113	113	confidential and not subject to the provisions of the Kansas open records
114	114	act, K.S.A. 45-215 et seq., and amendments thereto. The provisions of this
115	115	subsection shall expire on July 1, 2030, unless the legislature reviews and
116	116	reenacts this provision pursuant to K.S.A. 45-229, and amendments
117	117	thereto, prior to July 1, 2030.
118	118	(d) The feasibility study shall be prepared and submitted to the
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162	162	legislature, the governor, the senate committee on utilities and the house of
163	163	representatives committee on energy, utilities and telecommunications on
164	164	or before April 1, 2026.
165	165	Sec. 2.
166	166	KANSAS CORPORATION COMMISSION
167	167	(a) There is hereby appropriated for the above agency from the state
168	168	general fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, the following:
169	169	Nuclear feasibility study..................................................................$375,000
170	170	Sec. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
171	171	publication in the statute book.
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