HB 1142

This bill establishes the Arkansas Nuclear Recycling Program under the Department of Energy and Environment to study and develop the infrastructure for recycling spent nuclear fuel rods within Arkansas. The program's main purpose is to assess the technical and economic feasibility of creating facilities that would receive, store, and reprocess spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power plants into new usable fuel, while also developing plans for storing waste byproducts. Key impacts include positioning Arkansas as a potential national hub for nuclear fuel recycling, requiring the department to identify applicable federal standards for shipping and processing nuclear materials, secure federal funding for feasibility studies, and develop comprehensive plans for facility siting, construction costs, and long-term storage solutions for both recycled fuel and residual materials.