Kentucky Senate passes nuclear bill

Wednesday, 9 February 2011 The Kentucky state senate has passed by 31 votes to 5 a bill which would end a 27-year moratorium on the construction of new nuclear energy facilities within the state. The bill must now go before the state's House of Representatives. Senator Bob Leeper, who sponsored the bill, said that locating a nuclear energy facility in the state would not only enable it to keep "all viable options" open to meet future energy needs, but also to leverage the knowledge base from the current existing uranium enrichment facilities at Paducah. Earlier this month, the Minnesota Senate adopted by 50 votes to 14 a bill that would see the repeal of the state's 17-year-old moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants.