NUKES IN KY?
We couldn't make this nonsense up?
THE BAD NEWS: With Biden-era federal subsidies for new nuclear power plants, Trump's talk of deregulating the approval process, the overnight wealth of some politically-connected developers (despite zero experience) and the power demands of hyper-scale data centers, interest in nuclear power is resurging.
Even here in Kentucky, the legislature a) removed the decades-old ban on nuclear power, b) allocated millions of tax dollars to promote it and c) ordered the Ky. Public Service Commission to identify any barriers to the construction of nuclear power plants. And LG&E is exploring the idea of building one in Trimble County.
THE GOOD NEWS: LCAN formally applied to intervene in the Ky. PSC case to define the rules for evaluating proposals to build nukes in Kentucky, and was approved. The PSC ruled, "LCAN’s practical experience with its member non-profits regarding technical expertise and policy advocacy, including siting and pricing concerns will likely allow LCAN to present issues or develop facts that will assist the Commission in fully considering the matter without unduly complicating or disrupting the proceedings."
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PSC proceedings are very similar to court. Intervening requires attorneys​​​ and attorneys need to be paid.
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Why would LCAN push back against nuclear power?​
After all, many high-profile environmentalists see nuclear power as the only way to solve the ongoing climate crisis. We disagree --- for these main reasons: ​
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Nukes Are Way Too Slow
Building a nuclear power plant takes too long. Only three have gone into service since 1997. The most recent --- the two Vogtle plants in Georgia --- took 18 years to complete in 2024. Imagine how much worse the climate crisis would be ignored if everyone believed nukes would solve it for them.
Who Picks Up The Tab?
Even if it never had construction delays, cost overruns or an accident, nuclear power plants are hugely expensive. Those Vogtle nukes cost $36.8 Billion. Their average residential customer pays an extra $35/month for construction debt. Disconnections for falling behind on bills jumped by 20%.
Still No Permanent Waste Solution
The US still has NO permanent disposal site for the deadliest radioactive wastes from nuclear power plants. Conservative estimates say it will remain lethal for 250,000 years. The oldest human language is only a few thousand years old. In which languages will we write the instruction manual?
We've been here before.
After some of us worked for seven years to stop the construction of the boondoggle known as the Marble Hill* nuclear power plant in 1984, we thought everyone had learned how incredibly expensive nuclear power is.
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Construction problems, including holes in containment-building walls, and cost overruns prevented Public Service Indiana (PSI, now Duke Energy), the investor-owned utility building it, from raising enough money to finish via Wall St.
PSI thrice tried to get Indiana law changed so it could force ratepayers to pay for construction costs via their monthly electric bills before they might ever receive any power from it. We citizens thrice convinced Indiana's governor and lawmakers not to approve. Learn more in videographer Nick Hess', Dangerous at Any Price.
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We thought then that we were finished with nukes. The Paddlewheel Alliance disbanded and donated its remaining funds to LCAN to promote solar power.
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We were wrong. Here we go again.
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* As the crow flies, Marble Hill was 25 miles from Louisville, on the Indiana side of the Ohio River, just across from LG&E's coal-fired power plants in Trimble Co.
​​Please keep any eye out for email from LCAN for news on a forth-coming teach-in on nuclear power plants and the hyper-scale data centers partly inspiring the renewed interest in nukes.​​
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