AB513: Bill Text

LRB-2954/2

MDK:jld:jf

2013 - 2014 LEGISLATURE

2013 Assembly BILL 513

November 14, 2013 - Introduced by Representative Bies, cosponsored by Senator Lasee. Referred to Committee on Energy and Utilities.

AB513,1,3 An Act to amend 196.491 (3) (d) (intro.) and 196.493 (title); and to create 196.493 (3) of the statutes; relating to: dry cask storage of spent fuel from nuclear power plants and granting rule-making authority.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill requires a public utility or other person that uses dry cask storage to store spent fuel from a nuclear power plant to make annual payments to the city, village, or town (municipality), and to the county, in which the spent fuel is stored. As defined under current law, a "nuclear power plant" is a nuclear-fired electric generating facility with a nominal operating capacity of 100 megawatts or more. The bill's requirements apply whether or not a nuclear power plant is in operation or decommissioned. Dry cask storage is a method of storage that the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission allows a nuclear power plant to use after the plant reaches its capacity for on-site storage in water pools. The bill requires a public utility or other person to pay a municipality $250,000 for each year or portion of the year the public utility or person uses dry cask storage to store spent fuel in the municipality. Also, the public utility or person must pay a county $150,000 for each year or portion of a year that the public utility or person uses dry cask storage to store spent fuel in the county.

In addition, a public utility or person must pay a municipality $5,000 for each dry cask for each year or portion of a year that spent fuel is stored in a dry cask in the municipality. Finally, the bill requires the Public Service Commission to promulgate rules implementing the bill's requirements and adjusting the payment amounts described above every five years to account for inflation.

For further information see the local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB513,1 Section 1. 196.491 (3) (d) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB513,2,5 196.491 (3) (d) (intro.) Except as provided under par. (e) and s. 196.493 (2), the commission shall approve an application filed under par. (a) 1. for a certificate of public convenience and necessity only if the commission determines all of the following:

AB513,2 Section 2. 196.493 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB513,2,7 196.493 (title) Construction of nuclear Nuclear power plants limited.

AB513,3 Section 3. 196.493 (3) of the statutes is created to read:

AB513,2,12 196.493 (3) Spent fuel storage. (a) A public utility or other person that stores spent fuel from a nuclear power plant, whether or not the plant is in operation or decommissioned, and uses dry cask storage for the spent fuel shall do all of the following:

AB513,2,17 1. Pay to the municipality in which the spent fuel is stored $250,000, or the amount specified in rules promulgated under par. (b), for each year or portion of a year that the spent fuel is stored and pay to the municipality $5,000, or the amount specified in rules promulgated under par. (b), for each dry cask for each year or portion of a year that the fuel is stored in a dry cask in the municipality.

AB513,2,20 2. Pay to the county in which the spent fuel is stored $150,000, or the amount specified in rules promulgated under par. (b), for each year or portion of a year that the spent fuel is stored in the county.

AB513,3,2 (b) The commission shall promulgate rules to implement this subsection and to adjust the amounts specified in par. (a) every 5 years to account for inflation.

AB513,3,3 (End)