Originally introduced as HB 771 in December 2018, House Bill 104 was reintroduced into the Ohio House in March and has had a sponsor hearing in the House. Called the “Advanced Nuclear Technology Helping Energize Mankind (ANTHEM) Act,” HB 104 would establish an “Ohio Nuclear Development Authority” and an “Ohio Nuclear Development Consortium” that would authorize tax credits for investments therein.
HB 104 appears to have been written by and for Cleveland-based e-Generation, whose parent organization is Energy from Thorium. These organizations are made up of the same few individuals, whose goal is getting public money, whether or not anything ever comes to fruition.
Insane ideas in this bill include a major shift of nuclear accountability, spreading nuclear research and development from the federal government to state entities and/or public-private partnerships; a dangerous comingling between military and civilian nuclear activities; reprocessing of high-level radioactive waste; the use of eminent domain; and taxpayers paying for all nuclear “cleanup.” It also poses a weapons proliferation risk.
This convoluted proposal was written as a way to get the public to subsidize a new nuclear industry – tailor-made for one company.
The bottom line is that no nuclear research or development will occur anywhere in the world without public subsidy.