Valdez City Council Endorses Nuclear Microreactor Bills
Photo by Fré Sonneveld on Unsplash
Keenan James Britt - CRR Staff
At the March 15 Valdez City Council meeting, the council voted to approve Resolution #22-17 which urges “passage of Senate Bill 177 and House Bill 299.”
If passed, the bill would exempt nuclear facilities under 50 megawatts from current regulations that require multi-agency review of a nuclear facility’s hazards and legislative designation of its site.
The vote on the resolution follows last month’s council work session presentation by Copper Valley Electric Association and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation on the possibility of constructing a small-scale nuclear reactor in Valdez (available for viewing at https://valdez.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx). The resolution was supported unanimously by the full council except for Councilmembers Susan Love and Dawson Moore who were absent.
Resolution #22-17 cites the “substantial” rise in energy costs for Valdez residents in 2021 and 2022 as well as the “harsh conditions (and) vast distances” faced by Alaskan utility providers like CVEA among the reasons for supporting the passage of SB 177/HB 299. The resolution also noted that SB 177/HB 299 would provide “local communities jurisdiction over micro-reactor site selection.”
During discussion, City Manager Mark Detter explained the significance of Resolution #22-17: “I think everybody knows that energy is a major topic right now. I think that’s why CVEA came and talked to us about this issue, and this is kind of the natural follow up to that work session. We had a lot of discussion and now we’re putting forth a resolution that if passed we’ll share with our state officials. This gives a councilmember or the mayor the ability to testify that the city is supportive.”
Mary Woollen, Director Stakeholder Engagement for Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation, joined the meeting virtually. Woollen thanked Council.
“I greatly appreciate the support of all of you and just know that any time if there are any questions or requests for further information, we’re very happy to deliver that.”
Accompanying the resolution was a letter drafted by Detter and addressed to State Senator Shelley Hughes, Chairman of the Senate Community and Regional Affairs Committee. The letter supports passage of SB 177 in the current legislative session, stating the Council’s opinion that microreactors are “a viable source of power that have the potential to lower the cost of energy for Alaskans.”
Disclosure: The City of Valdez and CVEA are Copper River Record advertisers. The Copper River Record does not have a position regarding the passage of this bill or the construction of a micro modular nuclear reactor in our region.