In The News
Weekly Column: Good Jobs and Lower Energy Costs
Washington,
April 8, 2024
Last week, the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Covert received a $1.52 billion conditional loan commitment from the Department of Energy to restart operations in 2025. This is great news! I’ve led the bipartisan charge in Congress behind this historic project because it will bring economic opportunity, lower energy costs, and greater energy security for Southwest Michigan. Repowering Palisades means bringing 800 megawatts of safe, reliable, carbon-free energy generation for more than 800,000 homes - and hundreds of highly skilled, good-paying jobs right here to Michigan’s Fourth Congressional District. According to Market Van Buren’s Zach Morris, “we’re getting back $259 million of economic impact in our local economy, regionally.” That’s one of the many reasons I, the federal government, the State of Michigan, local officials, chambers of commerce, labor unions, environmental groups, and many others came together in support of this project. For our nation, this federal investment marks an important milestone. Palisades could be the first-ever recommissioning of a nuclear power plant – a key step in regaining American energy security and independence. The plant’s owner, Holtec International, is also planning to build two industry-first small modular reactor (SMR) units at the site which have the innovative potential to generate even more reliable carbon-free energy. Leading up to the announcement, I’ve been advocating to position Southwest Michigan at the forefront of our nation’s lower-cost, safe, and reliable energy future. I’m proud to have led the bipartisan congressional letter for a safe and swift review of the loan application that was approved last week. I’ve been highly engaged at the federal level on this critical issue by pressing the Biden Administration on restarting Palisades, supporting the power purchase agreement with Wolverine Power Cooperative, and visiting Holtec’s innovative manufacturing and research facility to see work being done for Palisades first-hand. These steps are in addition to discussing how repowering the plant furthers my mission of making our area an even better place to live, work, and raise a family. If you need assistance navigating a federal agency, please contact my office in Holland at (616) 251-6741 or Portage at (269) 569-8595. |