Michigan House Energy Committee hears bipartisan package to promote small modular reactors, workforce and tax incentives

The Michigan House Committee on Energy on Tuesday heard bipartisan testimony supporting a six‑bill package—House Bills 4124 through 4129—designed to define small modular reactors (SMRs), create research and production tax credits, and fund workforce attraction and training for nuclear and hydrogen energy.

Committee Chair Representative Pauline Wenzel opened the hearing and described the package as aimed at making Michigan "a national leader, but the global leader in developing the next generation of nuclear technologies." Wenzel said the bills would pair financial incentives with workforce development to attract investment and keep trained workers in state.

The package would, among other provisions discussed, (1) adopt the federal definition of an SMR, (2) create an R&D tax credit for SMR design and deployment, (3) create a production credit for initial SMR generation, and (4) establish scholarship and grant programs to recruit and retain workers and expand postsecondary programs that credential technicians and engineers.

Todd Allen, chair of the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences at the University of Michigan, told the committee his remarks represented his personal views and described the university as "the number 1 ranked department in the nation." Allen said many states and financial institutions are signaling stronger support for…