Small modular nuclear reactors may be used for the first time in the United States, in Indiana, thanks to a series of bills passed at the Statehouse.While one bill makes it easier for companies trying the technology for the first time to recoup some of their expense from Hoosier ratepayers, another would make it easier for companies to switch from coal or gas to nuclear with fewer problems from the government.

I”It only deals with if there’s a coal-fired plant on a piece of property and the utility wishes to replace that with natural gas or a small modular reactor…then they do not have to go through a rezoning process,” said Rep. Ed Soliday, a Republican from Valparaiso, during discussion of Senate Bill 425, in the House Tuesday.

The bill passed, but with objections from Rep. Matt Pierce, a Democrat from Bloomington.

“I think SMRs are significantly different because they involve radioactive material. They’re gonna generate spent fuel rods and they’re gonna have to be stored somewhere,” he said. “Right now the system’s not in place for long-term storage in a central repository so they mostly end up being stored on site.”

Pierce also said he objected because of a lack of involvement from the people affected.

“What this bill is basically saying is that if someone comes into your community and they want to put a small modular reactor into a generation facility that exists, your local communities have nothing to say about that,” he said.

Pierce also objected to another part of the bill which gives local governments less time to process a request from a utility to “go nuclear”, by limiting any moratoriums to one year.