Back to Wyoming

HB0131 • 2022

Nuclear power generation and storage-amendments.

AN ACT relating to environmental quality; amending and repealing requirements and conditions for legislative approval of the siting of high-level radioactive waste storage facilities as specified; amending provisions for small modular nuclear reactors to apply to advanced nuclear reactors; specifying duties and requirements for advanced nuclear reactors; defining terms; amending definitions, requirements and exemptions related to cost recovery for specified electric generation facilities; amending exemptions for the nuclear electricity production tax; making conforming amendments; repealing nuclear reactor requirements as specified; requiring rulemaking; and providing for an effective date.

Energy Taxes
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Representative Burkhart
Last action
2022-03-21
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
3/21/2022

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included a claim about changes to cost recovery rules which is not supported by the official source material.

Amendments to Nuclear Power Generation and Storage

This law changes rules for storing high-level radioactive waste, updates requirements for advanced nuclear reactors, and removes old rules about small modular nuclear reactors.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the conditions needed to build temporary storage facilities for high-level radioactive waste. Now, these facilities can only be built if they are on a site that uses spent nuclear fuel from power plants and have federal approval.
  • Updates requirements for advanced nuclear reactors instead of small modular ones. Advanced reactors must meet certain standards set by the federal government and report job creation, tax generation, and local benefits to state agencies.
  • Requires operators of both temporary storage facilities and advanced nuclear reactors to share information with emergency management departments and make it public on a website.
  • Removes old rules about small modular nuclear reactors that are no longer needed.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Operators of temporary high-level radioactive waste storage facilities
  • Companies building or operating advanced nuclear reactors in Wyoming

Terms To Know

Advanced Nuclear Reactor
A reactor that is an improvement over those placed into service before January 1, 2021 and has a license from the federal government.
High-Level Radioactive Waste Storage Facility
A place where spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste is stored temporarily until permanent disposal options are available.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify who will enforce these new rules.
  • Operators of advanced reactors must start sourcing uranium from U.S. mines by July 1, 2035 to keep getting tax exemptions.
  • Some parts of the bill may need further clarification through rulemaking.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB0131H2001

2nd reading • Representative Provenza

Failed

Plain English: The amendment adds a requirement that a long-term storage facility for high-level radioactive waste must be sited and permitted before certain authorizations can be granted.

  • Adds the condition that a long-term storage facility for high-level radioactive waste must have been sited and permitted before other authorizations can proceed.
  • The amendment text does not specify what types of authorizations are being referred to, so it is unclear exactly which processes will be affected by this new requirement.
HB0131H2002

2nd reading • Representative Sherwood

Failed

Plain English: The amendment changes the language in a bill to include specific licensing terms and adds a deadline for when certain provisions will no longer be valid.

  • Adds 'licensed and' before existing text, implying that facilities must have proper licenses.
  • Inserts 'until July 1, 2037' after a reference in the bill, setting an expiration date for certain conditions.
  • The amendment does not provide full context about what specific provisions will expire on July 1, 2037.
  • It is unclear how this change affects other parts of the bill or existing regulations.
HB0131H2003

2nd reading • Representative Gray

Failed

Plain English: The amendment requires operators of advanced nuclear reactors to use high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel primarily from Wyoming's uranium mines and report annually on the percentage sourced from these mines.

  • Adds a new requirement for advanced nuclear reactor operators to source their high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel mainly from Wyoming’s uranium mines.
  • Requires annual reporting by reactor operators to the department detailing the percentage of fuel obtained from Wyoming's uranium mines.
  • The amendment text does not specify what happens if an operator fails to meet the requirement or submit reports on time.
HB0131H3001

3rd reading • Representative Sherwood

Corrected, Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes a tax exemption rule for advanced nuclear reactors by adding requirements that at least 80% of uranium used must come from U.S. mines starting in July 2035.

  • Adds a new requirement that beginning July 1, 2035, an advanced nuclear reactor must use at least 80% U.S.-sourced uranium to qualify for tax exemption.
  • Places the burden on the taxpayer to prove they meet this new requirement.
  • The amendment text does not specify what happens if a reactor fails to meet the 80% threshold after July 1, 2035.
HB0131H3002

3rd reading • Representative Gray

Failed

Plain English: The amendment adds a new requirement for high-level radioactive waste storage facilities to prioritize using uranium from Wyoming and avoid using uranium from Russia.

  • Adds a new clause (E) that requires the facility to use uranium sourced in Wyoming as much as possible and not use uranium from the Russian Federation.
  • The amendment does not specify how compliance with this requirement will be enforced or what happens if uranium from Wyoming is unavailable.
HB0131H3003

3rd reading • Representative Gray

Withdrawn

Plain English: The amendment removes a specific section from the bill related to environmental quality and nuclear waste storage.

  • Removes part of the existing text that deals with requirements for legislative approval of high-level radioactive waste storage facilities.
  • The exact content removed is not provided, so it's unclear what specific details or regulations were deleted from the bill.
HB0131HW001

Committee of the Whole • Representative Sherwood

Failed

Plain English: The amendment reinstates specific words and phrases that were previously removed from the bill text and adds a new expiration date for a certain subsection.

  • Reinserts 'test or' at line 11 on page 9 of the bill.
  • Reinserts 'demonstration' at line 12 on page 9 of the bill.
  • Reinserts 'licensed and' at line 13 on page 9 of the bill.
  • Adds an expiration date of July 1, 2035 for a subsection starting with '35-11-2101'.
  • The exact context or meaning of these reinserted words and phrases is not provided in the amendment text.
HB0131HS001

Standing Committee • House Minerals, Business and Economic Development

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment modifies the bill to require information about job creation from high-level radioactive waste storage facilities and advanced nuclear reactors, specifically asking for details on how many of these jobs will go to Wyoming residents.

  • Adds a requirement for high-level radioactive waste storage facilities to report the number of jobs created and how many will be filled by Wyoming residents.
  • Removes unnecessary language about applying certain provisions in the bill.
  • Simplifies punctuation and removes redundant text from the original bill.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if facilities or reactors do not provide this information as requested.
HB0131S2001

2nd reading • Senator Case

Failed

Plain English: The amendment changes the tax exemptions for nuclear electricity production to credits and adds specific provisions for advanced nuclear reactors, including a new credit of $3 per megawatt hour with conditions starting in 2035.

  • Changes 'exemptions' to 'credits' in the bill text.
  • Adds a new tax credit of $3 per megawatt hour for advanced nuclear reactor operators, effective from 2035 onwards.
  • Requires that more than 80% of uranium used by an advanced nuclear reactor must come from U.S. mines after 2034 to qualify for the credit.
  • The amendment text does not provide details on how credits are carried forward or other specifics about implementation, which may be unclear without additional context.
HB0131S2002

2nd reading • Senator Case

Withdrawn

Plain English: The amendment modifies the requirements for siting high-level radioactive waste storage facilities, clarifying that these facilities are exempt from certain jurisdictional rules and specifying new language regarding advanced nuclear reactors.

  • Adds a specific reference to W.S. 35-11-1502(a) in relation to high-level radioactive waste storage facility siting requirements.
  • Removes the phrase 'only' and modifies related text to clarify that facilities are exempt from certain jurisdictional rules under the Industrial Development Information and Siting Act.
  • Strikes out specific language about the Commission and replaces it with a reference to advanced nuclear reactors subject to this article.
  • The amendment's text is technical, and some of its implications may not be fully clear without additional context or explanation.
HB0131S2003

2nd reading • Senator Rothfuss

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment removes specific sections of the bill related to high-level radioactive waste storage and small modular nuclear reactors.

  • Removes a section (37-2-133) that was part of the original bill's requirements for legislative approval of high-level radioactive waste storage facilities.
  • Eliminates lines from page 7, which contained provisions related to small modular nuclear reactors.
  • The exact content and implications of the deleted sections are not provided in the amendment text, making it difficult to fully understand their impact without reviewing the original bill's details.
HB0131S3001

3rd reading • Senator Case

Failed

Plain English: The amendment changes certain tax exemptions for nuclear power to credits, adds new requirements for advanced nuclear reactors regarding uranium sourcing, and modifies reporting obligations.

  • Changes the term 'exemptions' to 'credits' in relation to taxes on nuclear electricity production.
  • Adds a credit of $4.00 per megawatt hour for taxpayers operating advanced nuclear reactors, with conditions starting from tax year 2035 based on uranium sourcing requirements.
  • Modifies reporting obligations for the Department of Revenue regarding the amount of credit granted annually.
  • The amendment text does not provide full details about all changes and impacts, which may require additional context to fully understand its implications.
HB0131S3002

3rd reading • Senator Case

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment requires the Department of Revenue to annually report to a legislative committee about the amount of nuclear electricity production tax exemptions granted in the previous year.

  • Adds a new requirement for the Department of Revenue to submit an annual report on tax exemptions related to nuclear electricity production.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if the department fails to comply with this reporting requirement.
HB0131S3003

3rd reading • Senator Case

Failed

Plain English: The amendment modifies the requirements for legislative approval of high-level radioactive waste storage facilities and adds provisions related to impact assistance payments after construction of advanced nuclear reactors.

  • Removes the word 'only' from a specific section, allowing broader interpretation or application of certain conditions.
  • Adds new language requiring the Department of Revenue to make an impact assistance payment after the construction of an advanced nuclear reactor.
  • The exact implications and scope of removing 'only' are not fully clear from the provided text.
  • Details about how the impact assistance payments will be calculated or distributed are not specified in this amendment.
HB0131S3004

3rd reading • Senator Case

Failed

Plain English: The amendment adds new requirements for the siting of high-level radioactive waste storage facilities, including exemptions from certain state regulations and provisions for cost recovery.

  • Adds a new section (35-11-1502) that outlines specific requirements for applying to site high-level radioactive waste storage facilities.
  • Exempts these facilities from the jurisdiction of The Industrial Development Information and Siting Act, but allows certain provisions to apply if they do not conflict with federal regulations.
  • Specifies that the Department of Revenue must pay an impact assistance payment after construction of a storage facility.
  • The amendment text does not provide detailed information on how cost recovery for electric generation facilities will be amended or what specific exemptions are made for the nuclear electricity production tax.
HB0131SS001

Standing Committee • Senate Minerals, Business and Economic Development

Adopted

Plain English: 1 HB0131SS001 (TO ENGROSSED COPY) 1 Page 4-line 14 After "facility" insert "as soon as 2 practicable but"; delete "fifteen (15)" and 3 insert "five (5)".

  • 1 HB0131SS001 (TO ENGROSSED COPY) 1 Page 4-line 14 After "facility" insert "as soon as 2 practicable but"; delete "fifteen (15)" and 3 insert "five (5)".
  • 4 5 Page 4-line 15 After "report." insert "The operator shall 6 also transmit all information required under 7 this subsection to emergency management 8 departments of the local governments where the 9 facility is located and shall make the 10 information available on a public website.".
  • 11 12 Page 7-line 5 After "reactor" insert "as soon as practicable 13 but".
  • 14 15 Page 7-line 6 Delete "fifteen (15)" and insert "five (5)".

Bill History

  1. 2022-03-21 LSO

    Assigned Chapter Number 103

  2. 2022-03-21 Governor

    Governor Signed HEA No. 0059

  3. 2022-03-11 Senate

    S President Signed HEA No. 0059

  4. 2022-03-11 House

    H Speaker Signed HEA No. 0059

  5. 2022-03-11 LSO

    Assigned Number HEA No. 0059

  6. 2022-03-11 House

    H Concur:Passed 43-15-2-0-0

  7. 2022-03-10 House

    H Received for Concurrence

  8. 2022-03-10 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 16-13-1-0-0

  9. 2022-03-09 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  10. 2022-03-08 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  11. 2022-03-08 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  12. 2022-03-08 Senate

    S09 - Minerals:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 4-1-0-0-0

  13. 2022-03-02 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S09 - Minerals

  14. 2022-03-02 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  15. 2022-03-01 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 45-14-1-0-0

  16. 2022-02-28 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  17. 2022-02-25 House

    H 2nd Reading:Laid Back

  18. 2022-02-24 House

    H COW:Passed

  19. 2022-02-22 House

    H Placed on General File

  20. 2022-02-22 House

    H09 - Minerals:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 6-2-1-0-0

  21. 2022-02-17 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H09 - Minerals 47-12-1-0-0

  22. 2022-02-16 House

    H Received for Introduction

  23. 2022-02-15 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 22LSO-0249
Bill No.:

HB0131

Effective:

Immediately

LSO No.:

22LSO-0249

Enrolled Act No.:

HEA No. 0059

Chapter No.:

103

Prime Sponsor:

Burkhart

Catch Title:

Nuclear power generation and storage-amendments.

Subject:

Amending requirements for nuclear power generation and storage facilities.

Summary/Major Elements:

This act amends requirements and conditions for the siting of temporary high-level radioactive waste storage facilities to authorize a temporary storage facility only if the waste is stored on the site of a facility that uses the spent nuclear fuel at a power-generation facility; if the facility has received a license from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); if the facility's operator has submitted a required report on the impacts of the facility; and the operator complies with requirements for providing notices and correspondence from the NRC to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

Current law provides requirements that small modular nuclear reactors must meet before or while operating in Wyoming. This act amends those requirements (and applicable definitions) to apply instead to advanced nuclear reactors, which are reactors that are improvements over reactors placed in service before 2021 and that have an NRC-issued license.

For both temporary storage facilities and advanced nuclear reactors, the operators of those facilities must submit a report to DEQ on the number of jobs created by the construction and operation of the facility or reactor, the estimated taxes that are generated by the facility or reactor, and all local and state benefits and impacts of the facility and reactor.

The operators of both storage facilities and advanced nuclear reactors must send to DEQ copies of all publicly available reports, notifications, and violations that are sent to or from the NRC. Operators must also transmit these reports and this information to emergency management departments of local governments and make the information available on a public website.

The act repeals requirements previously enacted for small modular nuclear reactors related to the capacity of the reactor, the construction of the reactor, and the location of the reactor.

The act amends public-utility statutes to specify that requirements for reviewing the closure of coal-fired electric-generation facilities and limitations on cost-recovery for coal-fired generation facilities that are closed or retired do not apply to facilities that are to be closed or retired
in order to
replace the facility with an advanced nuclear reactor.

The act amends a tax exemption that previously existed for test or demonstration small modular nuclear reactors and that exempts a tax imposed on the production of electricity by a nuclear reactor. This act provides that no tax shall be imposed on any advanced nuclear reactor, except that, beginning on July 1, 2035, the exemption is only available if 80% or more of the uranium the advanced nuclear reactor uses comes from uranium mines located in the United States.

The act requires the Environmental Quality Council and DEQ to promulgate rules to implement the act.
The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
22LSO-0249

ORIGINAL House

ENGROSSED
Bill No
.
HB0131

ENROLLED ACT NO. 59,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2022 Budget Session

AN ACT relating to environmental quality; amending and repealing requirements and conditions for legislative approval of the siting of high-level radioactive waste storage facilities as specified; amending provisions for small modular nuclear reactors to apply to advanced nuclear reactors; specifying duties and requirements for advanced nuclear reactors; defining terms; amending definitions, requirements and exemptions related to cost recovery for specified electric generation facilities; amending exemptions for the nuclear electricity production tax; making conforming amendments; repealing nuclear reactor requirements as specified; requiring rulemaking; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 35
‑
11
‑
1506(e)(i) and by creating new paragraphs (vi) and (vii), 35
‑
11
‑
2101(b),
(d)(iii)(intro), (e) and by creating new subsections (f) and (g), 37
‑
2
‑
134(a)(ii)
, 37
‑
3
‑
117 by creating a new subsection (f) and 39
‑
23
‑
105(c) are amended to read:

35
‑
11
‑
1506.

Legislative approval of the siting of high
‑
level radioactive waste storage facilities; conditions.

(e)

The legislature hereby authorizes the siting of temporary high
‑
level radioactive waste storage facilities within this state subject to the following:

(i)

A facility
shall only be
is
authorized if
:

(A)

I
t is operated on the site of and to store the
high
‑
level radioactive
waste
or spent nuclear
fuel
produced by a nuclear power generation facility operating within the state;

(B)

The facility has received a license to construct and operate from the United States nuclear regulatory commission;

(C)

The report required under paragraph (vi) of this subsection has been submitted; and

(D)

The operator of the facility is in compliance with paragraph (vii) of this subsection.

(vi)

Not later than thirty (30) days before construction of a nuclear electric generation facility commences, the operator of the facility shall submit a report to the department that includes:

(A)

The number of jobs that will be created in the planning, permitting, licensing, site analysis and preparation, purchasing, construction, transportation, operation and decommissioning of the facility and what number of those jobs would be filled by Wyoming residents;

(B)

Local and state taxes that are estimated to be generated by all aspects of the construction, operation and decommissioning of the facility;

(C)

All benefits and impacts that will accrue to the state and the local community where the facility will be located, including benefits from job training, education, communication systems, monitoring and security systems.

(vii)

The operator of each facility shall send to the department copies of all publicly available reports, notifications and violations sent to or from the United States nuclear regulatory commission or the operator of the facility as soon as practicable but not later than five (5) days after the operator sends or receives the report. The operator shall also transmit all information required under this subsection to emergency management departments of the local governments where the facility is located and shall make the information available on a public website.

ARTICLE 21
ADVANCED NUCLEAR REACTORS

35
‑
11
‑
2101.

Advanced nuclear reactors; requirements.

(b)

Any person operating
a small modular
an advanced
nuclear reactor in the state of Wyoming
in accordance with this section
shall not store spent nuclear fuel or high
‑
level radioactive waste from the
small modular
advanced
nuclear reactor on the site of the
small modular
advanced
nuclear reactor without first meeting all of the requirements of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

(d)

As used in this section:

(iii)

"
Small modular
Advanced
nuclear reactor" means a nuclear reactor
, including any necessary ancillary facilities or structures,
that
:

is an improvement over nuclear reactors placed in service before January 1, 2021 and has a license issued by the United States nuclear regulatory commission;

(e)

The provisions of the Industrial Development Information and Siting Act, W.S. 35
‑
12
‑
101 through 35
‑
12
‑
119, shall apply
only
to the extent that those provisions do not interfere with, contradict or duplicate any requirements of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

(f)

Not less than thirty (30) days before construction of an advanced nuclear reactor commences and if no report is required to be submitted under W.S. 35
‑
11
‑
1506(e)(vi), the operator of the advanced nuclear reactor shall submit a report to the department that includes:

(i)

The number of jobs that will be created in the planning, licensing, site analysis, preparation, purchasing, construction, transportation, operation and decommissioning of the advanced nuclear reactor and what number of those jobs would be filled by Wyoming residents;

(ii)

Local and state taxes that are estimated to be generated by all aspects of the construction, operation and decommissioning of the advanced nuclear reactor;

(iii)

All benefits and impacts that will accrue to the state and local community where the advanced nuclear reactor will be located, including benefits from job training, education, communications systems, monitoring and security systems.

(g)

The operator of each advanced nuclear reactor shall send to the department copies of all publicly available reports, notifications and violations sent to or from the United States nuclear regulatory commission or the operator of the advanced nuclear reactor as soon as
practicable but not later than five (5) days after the operator sends or receives the report. The operator shall also transmit all information required under this subsection to emergency management departments of the local governments where the facility is located and shall make the information available on a public website.

37
‑
2
‑
134.

Electric generation facility closures; presumption; commission review.

(a)

As used in this section:

(ii)

"Retirement" or "retired" means the closure of or the complete and permanent cessation of operations at an electric generation facility. "Retirement" or "retired" shall not include
:

(A)

An electric generation facility that is closed in order to facilitate a conversion to, or replacement with, an advanced nuclear reactor that is operated in accordance with W.S. 35
‑
11
‑
2101;

(B)

A
ny closure mandated by federal law
;
or

(C)

A
ny closure resulting from federal environmental requirements to where it is no longer cost effective for the facility to continue operating
.
;

37
‑
3
‑
117.

Limitation for recovery of costs associated with electric generation built to replace retiring coal
‑
fired generation facility; exemption.

(f)

The requirements of this section shall not apply to an electric public utility that replaces a coal
‑
fired electric generation facility with an advanced nuclear
reactor that is operated in the state of Wyoming in accordance with W.S. 35
‑
11
‑
2101.

39
‑
23
‑
105.

Exemptions.

(c)

Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, n
o tax shall be imposed on any
test or demonstration small modular
advanced
nuclear reactor
licensed and
operated in accordance with W.S.
35
‑
11
‑
2101(b) and 35
‑
11
‑
431 through 35
‑
11
‑
433
35
‑
11
‑
2101
.
Beginning July 1, 2035, a taxpayer shall only qualify for the exemption authorized under this subsection for any month that not less than eighty percent (80%) of the advanced nuclear reactor's uranium used for producing electricity was sourced from uranium mines located in the United States. The burden shall be on the taxpayer to establish entitlement to the exemption authorized under this subsection. Not later than June 1 of each year, the department of revenue shall report to the joint revenue interim committee on the amount of taxes that were exempted under this subsection during the prior tax year.

Section 2.

W.S. 35
‑
11
‑
1506(e)(ii) through (v) and 35
‑
11
‑
2101(a) and (d)(iii)(A) through (C) are repealed.

Section 3
.

The department of environmental quality and environmental quality council shall promulgate all rules necessary to implement the provisions of this act.

Section 4
.

This act is effective
immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.

Chief Clerk

1