Introduction of the Troubled Nuclear Power Plants Communities Assistance

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Troubled Nuclear Power Plants Communities Assistance Act. This bill seeks to mitigate the human casualties that result from the upheaval of the energy industry, where we see many nuclear power plants struggling to remain afloat as other sources of energy have become cheaper and cheaper.

The impact on local economies due to the potential loss of jobs and the tax base when nuclear power plants close can be severe. In my district, if the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant closes, it will mean the loss of 700 highly paid skilled 900 megawatt nuclear industry workers. And for every 100 nuclear power plant jobs, 66 related jobs are created in the local community.

These plants are among the largest taxpayers in their communities, typically contributing tens of millions of dollars in local taxes. For years, the Davis-Besse plant in my District, generated $20 million a year in tax revenue for Ottawa County, of which $12.1 million went to the school district.

This bill proposes to offer these communities adjustment support to soften the blow of the significant revenue losses that will harm local communities by infusing federal payments on a gliding path over eight years to eligible local governments--should the worst happen. The funding will provide 80 percent of the lost revenues during the first year and will decrease by 10 percent per year for the remaining years of eligibility.

Let me be clear. We are not giving up on Davis-Besse, nor should we easily give up on other nuclear power plants around the country. Nuclear power provides the large majority of clean energy in this country. And from a national security perspective, we must consider the impact of the anticipated closure on our Nation's nuclear supply chain--that absolutely includes highly trained people and technologies.

Ohioans don't give up. It is in our history. During the Battle of Lake Erie, Commander Oliver Hazard Perry, who is memorialized at Perry's Monument just a few miles from Davis-Besse, unfurled a flag that read ``Don't Give Up the Ship.'' Well we are not giving up and we plan to keep fighting for the community and those impacted by the future of Davis-Besse.

But should the worst happen, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and to consider the toll this will have on communities. Schools, roads, law enforcement and other fundamental civil services that people need will be gutted. This is not an isolated problem facing the people of Northern Ohio, but dozens of other communities are facing the prospect of closures of plants across this nation.

We owe them our best effort to provide a pathway for recovery should the worst happen.

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