A package of legislation from state Representative Pauline Wendzel intended to bolster development of the nuclear industry in Michigan has been approved by the state House.
Wendzel tells us the package contains several bills, each of which does something different to make Michigan more attractive to the industry and encourage the development of small modular reactors.
“One of them was putting in a definition of what a small modular reactor is, or an SMR as we call them,” Wendzel said. “But it also created some incentives for research and development. It also expands education and training. We have great colleges and community colleges here in Michigan, and they’re creating programs in those colleges to train people to work at nuclear plants, which is very important, and then keeping those people here.”
The bills include a set of tax incentives for colleges and universities to train new workers in the nuclear industry. There’s also a tax credit for workers in the industry to stay in Michigan after graduation or to come to Michigan. Nick Culp with Holtec International, the owner of the Palisades nuclear power plant, says that’s big as the industry offers all kinds of opportunities in the state.
“We’ve had people from across the country who have moved to our state because of the restart,” Culp said. “And we anticipate with the deployment of SMRs not only at Palisades, but at other locations in Michigan, we will see that talent and that workforce returning here.”
Culp says it’s “heartening” to see bipartisan support for the package at a time when we rarely see bipartisan support for anything. He tells us nuclear has something for just about everyone because it’s emissions-free, provides reliable baseload energy, and creates a lot of good jobs.
Wendzel says the legislation sends out a signal to the world that Michigan is ready to be the leader in nuclear energy.
