SB 215

This bill removes two major regulatory barriers to building nuclear power plants in Oregon by repealing the requirement that a licensed repository for high-level radioactive waste disposal must exist before a nuclear plant can receive a site certificate, and eliminating the requirement that proposed nuclear power plants must be approved by Oregon voters. The legislation essentially streamlines the approval process for nuclear power development in the state by removing both the waste disposal prerequisite and the mandatory voter referendum that currently make it extremely difficult to site new nuclear facilities. Since this represents a significant policy change regarding nuclear energy development, the bill itself will be referred to Oregon voters for approval or rejection at the next general election.