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Committee inserts “above ground” language, advances Senate Bill 21-59 on small modular reactors
Summary
The Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to amend and advance Senate Bill 21-59 to clarify that storage referenced in the bill refers to above-ground storage; the committee then recommended the amended bill for a due pass.
Chairman Porter opened discussion of Senate Bill 21-59, noting the measure had been returned to the committee and calling it “the bill that just keeps on giving.”
The committee considered a motion to reconsider the committee’s prior action on 21-59, which passed. Members then debated and adopted a technical amendment to specify that the word “waste” in the bill refers to above-ground storage. Chairman Porter described the amendment as “okay” and said the change was intended to reassure constituents that the bill does not authorize underground storage of nuclear waste. He noted that, based on federal practice and the experience of nearby plants, spent material is stored on-site in above-ground facilities and that small modular reactors are expected to follow the same pattern.
Representative Marshall moved to insert the words “above ground” after the word “waste” on the identified line; Representative Olson seconded. After brief procedural clarifications about which engrossed version was in front of members, the amendment was approved by the committee. The committee then voted to recommend a due pass on Senate Bill 21-59 as amended. The clerk called roll on the due-pass recommendation; the clerk’s roll call recorded affirmative votes from Chairman Porter, Vice Chair Anderson, Vice Chair Novak, Representative Conmeid, Representative Doctor, Foss, Haggard, Hedlund, Heinert, Johnson, Marshall, Olsen, and Ruby (roll-call sequence as recorded in the transcript). The committee reported the bill as recommended for passage.
Why it matters: Members said the amendment was intended to address community concerns raised during prior outreach and to clarify that the statute would not reopen the earlier controversy over underground borehole testing on state land. Committee members and one staff speaker also referenced Yucca Mountain and other federal repository litigation as background on why on-site, above-ground storage remains the prevailing practice nationally.
The committee moved on to other bills after reporting 21-59 as recommended for passage.
