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Committee backs Senate Bill 179 to establish nuclear energy development grant program and allocate funds
Summary
Senate Bill 179, which establishes a nuclear energy development grant program within the Kentucky New Nuclear Energy Development Authority and redirects $10 million of an existing appropriation for the authority's operations, was amended by PHS 1 and reported favorably, with $2 million identified for engineering workforce training in Paducah.
The House Appropriations and Revenue Committee on March 13, 2025, reported Senate Bill 179, as amended by PHS 1, which creates the Nuclear Energy Development Grant Program within the Kentucky New Nuclear Energy Development Authority and identifies funding from an existing appropriation.
Senator Danny Carroll, sponsor of the bill, and State Representative Steven Rudy appeared before the committee. Carroll described the measure as establishing the grant program within the authority. Representative Rudy explained the appropriation details: the committee substitute redirects $10,000,000 of a previously appropriated $40,000,000 for the University of Kentucky toward operations of the authority and the EPIC commission, and of that $10,000,000, $2,000,000 is designated for the University of Kentucky's engineering program in Paducah to support workforce training tied to a project already in the pipeline.
Committee members offered no recorded amendments to alter the funding breakdown. After motions and a roll call, Chair Jeff Petrie announced that Senate Bill 179 as amended by PHS 1 "having received 19 yes votes, 0 nay votes, and 0 pass votes will be reported with favorable expression."
The committee hearing on the record did not include additional conditions for the grants, a timeline for grant awards, or a detailed staffing plan for the authority; those specifics were not addressed in the transcript provided.
