PADUCAH HOSTS NUCLEAR-READINESS PUBLIC MEETING

Last week McCracken County and the City of Paducah hosted two public education meetings to provide education and outreach on nuclear energy, as local officials prepare to apply to the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority for designation as a “Nuclear Ready Community”.  ECA’s Director of Nuclear Programs, Kara Colton, provided information on advanced nuclear energy technologies, siting, regulation and oversight of nuclear facilities, the nuclear energy ecosystem and supply chain, and the potential role and benefits of nuclear energy development for communities.  She also explained what she believed being “nuclear ready” would mean for the community, “The designation doesn’t mean that you’re going to have a reactor or a related nuclear project in your backyard tomorrow. To me it means you’ve started education, you know the questions to ask, you know the people that you’d like to learn more from, you know things that you don’t support and you know things that you do. It’s making sure that the community has agency and a meaningful role in decision-making.”

Ms. Colton’s presentation was followed by a public comment period, where members of the community working for or with the Department of Energy or nuclear industry provided support, but many of the public comments expressed concerns including the impact or deprioritization of ongoing cleanup at the Paducah site, contamination, cumulative impacts of new nuclear development in addition to the activities at or near the site, and seismology. 

At the conclusion of the public comment period, County Judge Craig Clymer and Mayor George Bray emphasized their commitment to the health and safety of the community as these new economic development opportunities are considered.  State Senator Danny Carroll also spoke in favor of new nuclear projects, describing them as a major opportunity for Paducah.  He also expressed support for community officials. “The local administration has done their homework, the state, we have done our homework, and the federal government has done their homework,” Carroll said. “The world is changing. We can either go with it and grow and prosper and build a better community, or we can get left behind.”