State Representative Pauline Wendzel is seeking to move forward quickly with legislation to encourage the development of small modular nuclear reactors in Michigan.
Wendzel is one of the co-sponsors of a bipartisan package of legislation announced this week that will create incentives for the design and construction of SMRs while offering tax credits to workers in the nuclear industry. It would also create grants for colleges to train students in the nuclear field.
Wendzel tells us nuclear energy is shaping up to be a major issue of agreement between the two parties in Lansing.
“Nobody wants their lights going out,” Wendzel said. “We need power and we need it more and more every day. As technology advances with electric vehicles, we’ve got data centers, things like that, it’s not going away.”
And Wendzel says Southwest Michigan knows nuclear better than any other part of the state.
A similar package of legislation fizzled out in the Legislature during the last session, but Wendzel says now that she’s chair of the House Energy Committee, she plans to get this package to the floor before that can happen again.
“Actually, time is of the essence in this case. A lot of times, legislation takes a frustratingly long time, as it should and needs to be vetted. But in this case, these were around last term as well, and other states actually have stolen them from us.”
Wendzel says Indiana and Texas are now working on the same kind of legislation. She plans a committee hearing on the package next Tuesday, and it’s set to feature testimony from several supporters.
Wendzel notes the package has the support of the nuclear industry and Lake Michigan College, among others. As the chair of the House Nuclear Caucus, she says she knows there’s wide support for the industry in Lansing.
