{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-164.2802","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 164.2802","heading":"Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority -- Membership --","body":"Director -- Purposes -- Duties -- Annual report.\n(1) The Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority is hereby established and\nattached to the University of Kentucky Cent er for Applied Energy Research for\nadministrative purposes. The mission of the Kentucky Nuclear Energy\nDevelopment Authority shall be to:\n(a) Serve as the nonregulatory, trusted state government agency on nuclear\nenergy issues and development in the Commonwealth; and\n(b) Support and facilitate the development of the nuclear energy ecosystem across\nthe Commonwealth in a collaborative manner that:\n1. Enhances the Commonwealth's economy;\n2. Offers energy production and economic development opportunities that\nare safe;\n3. Protects the environment across the Commonwealth;\n4. Supports community voices, especially in underrepresented or\nhistorically impacted areas;\n5. Increases energy education; and\n6. Prepares a future workforce.\n(2) The Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority shall be governed by an\nadvisory board consisting of the following twenty -two (22) voting members and\neight (8) nonvoting members:\n(a) Seven (7) state government members or their designees who shall be voti ng\nmembers:\n1. The director of the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy\nResearch, who shall serve as chair;\n2. The secretary of the Energy and Environment Cabinet;\n3. The secretary of the Cabinet for Economic Development;\n4. The chair of the Public Service Commission;\n5. The president of the Council on Postsecondary Education;\n6. The secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet; and\n7. The director of the Division of Emergency Management;\n(b) Fifteen (15) at-large members who shall be voting members:\n1. A representative from each of the four (4) investor -owned electric\nutilities operating in the Commonwealth, designated by the president of\neach investor -owned electric utility, unless two (2) or more of the\ninvestor-owned electric utilities are op erated under common ownership,\nin which case only one (1) representative shall be designated for the\ncommonly owned utilities;\n2. Three (3) representatives of electric cooperatives designated by the chief\noperating officer of the Kentucky Association of El ectric Cooperatives,\nas follows:\na. One (1) of whom shall represent distribution cooperatives; and\nb. Two (2) of whom shall represent each of the generation and\ntransmission electric cooperatives operating in the\nCommonwealth, unless they are operated unde r common\nownership, in which case only one (1) representative shall be\ndesignated for the commonly owned generation and transmission\nelectric cooperatives;\n3. A representative of the Tennessee Valley Authority, designated by its\nchief nuclear officer;\n4. A representative of municipal utilities, designated by the executive\ndirector of the Kentucky League of Cities;\n5. A representative of nuclear site remediation services, designated by the\ndirector of business services for the Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership  or\nby another organization that provides nuclear site remediation services;\n6. A representative for environmental interests, designated by the\nexecutive director of the Kentucky Conservation Committee;\n7. A representative of manufacturers, designated by t he president of the\nKentucky Association of Manufacturers;\n8. A representative for commercial interests, designated by the president of\nthe Kentucky Chamber of Commerce;\n9. A mayor of a city, designated by the executive director of the Kentucky\nLeague of C ities, who lives in an \"energy community\" as that term is\nused in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Pub. L. No. 117-169, and as\nit is defined in the latest guidance by the Internal Revenue Service; and\n10. A county judge/executive, designated by the exe cutive director of the\nKentucky Association of Counties, who lives in an \"energy community\"\nas that term is used in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Pub. L. No.\n117-169, and as it is defined in the latest guidance by the Internal\nRevenue Service; and\n(c) Eight (8) nonvoting members:\n1. The president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, or designee;\n2. A representative from a national nuclear educational nonprofit\norganization, designated by the chair and confirmed by a majority of the\nvoting members;\n3. A representative from a United States Department of Energy National\nLaboratory with expertise in nuclear energy policy issues, designated by\nthe chair and confirmed by a majority of the voting members;\n4. A representative from a nongovernmental nuclear pol icy advocacy\norganization, designated by the chair and confirmed by a majority of the\nvoting members;\n5. Two (2) members of the Senate, who shall serve as ex officio members,\ndesignated by the President of the Senate; and\n6. Two (2) members of the House of  Representatives, who shall serve as\nex officio members, designated by the Speaker of the House of\nRepresentatives.\n(3) State government members named in subsection (2)(a) of this section and members\nof the General Assembly named in subsection (2)(c)5. and  6. of this section shall\nserve on the advisory board during the terms of their appointed or elected state\ngovernment positions. After the initial appointments, all other members of the\nadvisory board shall serve terms of four (4) years. Members shall be e ligible to\nsucceed themselves and shall serve until their successors are appointed. A vacancy\noccurring during the term of any member shall be filled in the same manner as the\noriginal appointment.\n(4) A majority of the voting members of the advisory board  shall constitute a quorum\nfor the purposes of conducting business. The advisory board shall meet at least\nquarterly, or more often at the call of the chair.\n(5) Members of the advisory board shall not be paid for their service as board\nmembers, and they s hall not be reimbursed for any expenses relating to their\nattendance of board meetings.\n(6) The advisory board shall hire a director of the authority who shall possess the skills\nand experience necessary to lead the authority effectively, promote the safe and\nresponsible development of nuclear energy, publicize and encourage application to\nthe Nuclear Energy Development Grant Program established in KRS 164.2803, and\nachieve the authority's purposes described in subsection (8) of this section.\n(7) Beginning January 1, 2027, the authority shall provide to its advisory board\nmembers at least twenty (20) hours of training each year in any area relating to\nnuclear energy generation, siting, or policy.\n(8) The purposes of the authority shall be to:\n(a) Assist inte rested communities in understanding advanced nuclear\nopportunities, including the importance of secure, firm, cost -competitive\npower for customers and for economic development opportunities, as well as\nthe potential for direct and indirect economic benefit s associated with the\nemployment and tax revenue generated from nuclear energy projects;\n(b) Provide information to the public on the history of nuclear energy\ntechnologies in the Commonwealth, the status of existing nuclear energy\nprojects within the Comm onwealth, and the potential benefits and concerns\nassociated with nuclear energy technologies;\n(c) Develop the capacity for nuclear energy economic development in the\nCommonwealth, which shall include providing information to educational\ninstitutions on the types of career opportunities that will be available with the\ndevelopment of nuclear energy, building strong relationships with economic\ndevelopment professionals, promoting existing economic development\nincentives applicable to nuclear energy developmen t, and seeking out new\ngrants and other financial support for nuclear energy development;\n(d) Seek greater clarity and certainty with stakeholders on financial support for\nearly nuclear site permitting, the process for obtaining a nuclear power facility\ncertificate of public convenience and necessity, and the recovery of\nconstruction work in progress for nuclear energy projects;\n(e) Work with communities that have previously hosted nuclear -related activities\nand other communities facing a transition away fr om fossil fuels to empower\nthose communities with the resources and information necessary to engage\nwith regulators, developers, and decisionmakers on new nuclear power\nfacilities, nuclear component manufacturing facilities, and fuel cycle facilities;\n(f) Strengthen engagement with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission by\nreviewing current safety and security practices implemented at different types\nof nuclear energy facilities under their purview, promoting the streamlining of\npermitting efforts, and s upporting the siting of interim and permanent nuclear\nstorage facilities via the continued use of consent-based siting;\n(g) Build the organizational capacity to engage and potentially convene a\nconsortium of stakeholders interested in nuclear energy techno logies that\nwould consist of utilities, environmental advocates, electric cooperatives, and\nmajor industrial companies in order to share best practices, including how to\nshare risk associated with developing and constructing new nuclear power\nplants within the Commonwealth;\n(h) Engage with the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories,\nacademic institutions, and private companies on efforts to develop deployable\ntechnologies to reprocess or recycle spent nuclear fuel;\n(i) Maintain awareness o f potential events that could initiate or accelerate the\ndevelopment of new nuclear energy technologies within the Commonwealth\nto allow the public to benefit from these projects;\n(j) Through the nuclear energy development grant administration subcommittee ,\nreview and evaluate grant applications and make grant awards in accordance\nwith KRS 164.2803; and\n(k) Through the Nuclear Reactor Site Readiness Pilot Program, review and\nevaluate grant applications and make recommendations to the General\nAssembly for funding eligible projects.\n(9) The authority, with the approval of the advisory board, shall:\n(a) Propose and adopt bylaws for the management and operation of the authority,\nincluding for the Nuclear Energy Development Grant Program established in\nKRS 164.2803;\n(b) Develop and adopt a strategic plan for carrying out the purposes of the\nauthority described in subsection (8) of this section;\n(c) Create and update at least once every two (2) years a nuclear energy economic\nimpact analysis for the Commonwealth;\n(d) Employ necessary staff to carry out the functions of the authority, including,\nsubject to available funding, third -party consultants with the subject matter\nexpertise to assist as needed with the studies, reviews, examinations, and\nrecommendations for which the authority is responsible; and\n(e) By December 1, 2025, and each December 1 thereafter, submit a report to the\nGovernor and the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the Interim\nJoint Committees on Natural Resources and Energy, Appropriat ions and\nRevenue, and Economic Development and Workforce Investment providing:\n1. A summary of the authority's activities and achievements since its last\nreport;\n2. The evaluations and scores of all nuclear energy development grant\napplications received and all grant awards made pursuant to KRS\n164.2803 since its last report;\n3. The evaluations, scores, and funding recommendations for applicants to\nthe Nuclear Reactor  Site Readiness Pilot Program established in KRS\n164.2805; and\n4. Recommendations for the support and expansion of the nuclear energy\necosystem in the Commonwealth.","path":["KRS Chapter 164"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=57402","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:14Z","sha256":"f6600ce8e7ae2b894fea5178b7c311014559657e07534a58e9858ec02e6ef592","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-164.280","next":"us-ky/krs-164.2803"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}