Loading....

Tell Your Ohio State Senator - Do NOT Support HB 434

Ohio House Bill 434 would set a dangerous course for Ohio. Tell your State Senator to OPPOSE this bill.

Ohio House Bill 434 passed the Ohio House on March 23, 2022. This bill authorizes the creation of a new Ohio body, called the Ohio Nuclear Development Authority (ONDA). The ONDA would be given the go ahead to do research and development on new nuclear reactors, defining them as “advanced”.

House Bill 434 would be an expensive, unaccountable, and radioactive distraction from real solutions to Ohio's energy needs.

ACT NOW! Tell your state legislators to REJECT HB 434.

First Name*

Last Name*

Email Address*

Address, line 1*

City*

State*

Zip Code*

I'd like to receive updates from this organization

Take Action

More Information

Energy News Network: Ohio bill would open door to subsidize next-generation nuclear power work

Nuclear power critics say the legislation could amount to a blank check for private companies researching nuclear reactor technology, while supporters say it would create jobs and bring in federal contracts.

FACT SHEET: Ohio House Bill 434: A Radioactive Taxpayer Subsidy

Ohio State Senate

Subject: Oppose House Bill 434

Message:

Ohio House Bill 434 would set a dangerous course for Ohio on many levels. It would create a new “Ohio Nuclear Development Authority” that would operate in virtual secrecy, first as a State Authority and second because its work would be contracted out from the Department of Development to JobsOhio. HB 434 is massive in scope. In a mere 14 pages it cannot - and does not - address basic issues about its operations such as: how much will Ohio taxpayers be asked to ante up for an industry that cannot compete in the marketplace? How and when, if ever, would this new Authority come to an end? Who will pay to clean up radioactivity brought to or generated at sites overseen by the Authority? Eight of HB 434’s 14 pages are used to describe a convoluted process for Authority Board membership that would tell the governor whom he or she could appoint! Unless Ohio consented to be sued, claims by workers and the public for injury or property damage from accidents, spills, or emissions – radioactive or otherwise – are barred. Despite what the bill’s sponsor told the House, the bill defines nuclear research and development as “matters of public necessity” for which private property may be acquired. In two previous Ohio bills proposing a Nuclear Development Authority, language was taken directly from the website of a small company in Cleveland called eGeneration. Once listed as a charitable organization, their address is a P.O. Box. They have promoted molten salt reactors and the use of thorium for decades, initially asking for money from Congress. Five of only 7 people to testify in favor of HB 434 in the House have direct ties to eGeneration. Reactors that use sodium or molten salts for cooling or fuel destroy their internals rapidly, then leak. There is a constant need for replacement of parts. The only functioning molten salt reactor operated at Oak Ridge, TN for only 4 years, and is not cleaned up after 53 years and $32 million spent. Total cleanup estimate is $130 million. Now they are proposing to entomb it in place. HB 434 mentions “isotopes” 7 times. Even if HB 434 were about making medical isotopes, 3 US companies are working on making the medical isotope technetium-99 using cyclotrons, which is far safer and no nuclear reactors are needed. New reactors are still in the design phase and are termed “PowerPoint Reactors” because they are unbuilt, untried, and untested. It would take over a decade for even the first one to be sited, licensed, and built. Wall Street won’t fund nuclear power research and development, so the industry is coming to the Statehouse with its hand out. But the money will come from the pockets of Ohioans like me and my family. "All of the above" is not an energy plan. HB 434 is an expensive distraction from real solutions to Ohio's energy needs. If you as a senator would not like to have this nuclear operation in your back yard, please don't saddle other Ohioans with it.

Characters remaining:

Ohio State Senate Committee on Energy and Public Utilities

Subject: Stop House Bill 434 in Committee

Message:

Characters remaining:

Tell Your Ohio State Senator - Do NOT Support HB 434

ACT NOW! Tell your state legislators to REJECT HB 434.

More Information

We are not targeting any representatives in your district. Head to the NIRS website to explore our action opportunities. Thank you for your advocacy!

Thank You for Taking Action!

Donate to NIRS!