Washington, D.C.—The Ohio legislature voted today to approve HB 6, a measure that keeps Ohio’s nuclear power plants in operation. The following statement can be attributed to Maria Korsnick, president and chief executive officer of the Nuclear Energy Institute:
“The majority of Ohio’s clean energy will remain in operation thanks to legislation passed by the legislature. Ohio’s nuclear power plants do more than churn out 90 percent of the Buckeye state’s clean power, they support 4,300 jobs and contribute $30 million per year to roads, school and public services. Keeping Ohio’s carbon-free nuclear plants operating is a smart investment to ensuring access to 24/7 clean, reliable power as well as low electricity prices.
“Today’s decision echoes support we’ve seen in New Jersey, New York, Illinois and Connecticut and reaffirms the major role nuclear carbon free energy has in lowering carbon emissions. I commend the members of the Ohio Legislature, and we thank Gov. DeWine for quickly signing this legislation into law.”
Updated: July 31, 2019
NEI supports a clean energy future including a robust role for nuclear carbon-free energy. We have and will continue to support efforts to include nuclear power along with other technologies to reduce emissions and pollution at the state and federal level.
As the nation’s advocate for nuclear carbon-free energy, we are grateful to the Ohio Governor and legislature for saving 16 million MWh of carbon-free energy and thousands of jobs. We were not consulted on nor did we endorse any other provisions of this legislation.
Our objective is straightforward: preserve nuclear carbon-free energy and encourage new emissions-free plants to be built. Losing these nuclear energy plants would be devastating to efforts to decarbonize the Midwest. Improving laws to benefit a zero-carbon future is always an option, reopening a nuclear plant is not. We will continue to work with policymakers and stakeholders on policies to reduce emissions and preserve zero-carbon forms of energy.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock/SMReid
