[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 153 (Thursday, September 13, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1248-E1249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF THE TROUBLED NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS COMMUNITIES 
                               ASSISTANCE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 13, 2018

  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

[[Page E1249]]

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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