By Marissa Ventrelli | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS
A Senate bill that would have defined nuclear energy as clean energy died along party lines in committee Thursday.
Introduced by Sen. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, SB24-039 would have included nuclear energy in the statutory definition of clean energy sources, thus rendering it eligible for clean energy project funding. During discussion, opponents said such a designation would have a negative impact on the environment, while proponents listed the benefits of using nuclear energy.
After length discussion, the Senate Committee of Transportation and Energy voted 4-3 to kill the measure.
“It is our responsibility to lay the groundwork for the development of reliable and renewable energy for future generations to come, and this bill would have done exactly that,” said Liston upon the bill’s defeat. “Nuclear energy is clean, reliable, sustainable, and safe. By correctly defining it as such, we would have invited its development and ultimate deployment.”