Editor's Note: SB 251 passed the Indiana Senate and is awaiting action by the Indiana House, however, action on all bills in the House has been suspended until House Democrats return to the State House.  House Democrats have staged a walk out leaving House Republicans without a quorum to conduct legislative business. Laura Ann Arnold

Originally printed at http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/Nuclear-Energy-Bill-For-Indiana-In-Jeopardy-117966469.html
 
By Jeff Neumeyer
March 14, 2011
 
INDIANA, (Indiana's NewsCenter) --- A provision of a senate bill that seeks to encourage the construction of new nuclear power plants in Indiana may be a casualty of the Japan earthquake disaster.
 
The leader of the state senate says we'll need to get more facts about what caused the nuclear plant problems in Japan before we go any further with Senate Bill 251.
 
There are a number of nuclear power plants across the United States, but none in the state of Indiana.
 
Sources of electricity in the Midwest are at risk from new regulations on coal-fired power proposed by President Obama.
 
Among other things, Senate Bill 251 would allow utility companies pursuing construction of nuclear plants to try and pass on some of those costs to ratepayers.
 
But David Long of Fort Wayne, the President Pro Tem of the senate, says the mess in Japan gives reason for pause.
 
David Long/(R) Senate President Pro Tem: " We need to take a step back, try to understand how this happened, what the circumstances were, was it human error, was it all caused by the natural disaster? If so, what part of it, was it the tsunami, was it the earthquake, we don't have the answers to that right now, and we need to have some answers."
 
Senate Bill 251 tries to create other incentives for producing clean energy.
 
A study group told state legislators back in 2009 that Indiana would need 17 percent more electricity generation capacity by 2020 and 30 percent more by 2025.
 
But trying to sell the public on nuclear energy has suddenly become a daunting task.