Wisconsin legislator hails passage of bill to lift state's nuclear-power ban

State Rep. Scott Allen (R-WI) released a statement this week praising his colleagues in the Wisconsin State Assembly for passing a measure that eliminates a 30-year-old moratorium on nuclear-energy generation in the state.

“Our economy in Wisconsin requires the availability of affordable energy. Expanding energy options is critical for creating future jobs in our state,” Allen said.

For the state to implement nuclear power, Allen said it would need to have high safety levels and be cost-effective for the state.


With this measure, the state will be able to explore the possibility of building a nuclear power plant.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently issued the Clean Power Plan, which requires states to reduce carbon emissions from non-nuclear power plants. Allen said Wisconsin would need to reduce its current carbon emissions by approximately 41 percent by 2030 to meet federal regulations. The U.S. aims to reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent as a whole within the same time frame.