On October 27, the Ohio Senate passed Senate Resolution 108, urging President Obama to grant a $2 billion taxpayer-backed loan guarantee to USEC, the corporation that is building a uranium enrichment plant at Piketon, Ohio. On August 4, the US Dept. of Energy deferred review of the USEC loan application until a series of specific technology and financial milestones have been met.
The bill also urges US Sec. of Energy Steven Chu to provide federal funding assistance for what has been termed a “Clean Energy Park Demonstration Project” at the Piketon site. This means funding for a nuclear power plant proposed to be built on the Piketon site, as was announced in July of 2009.
A new nuclear power plant would be extremely expensive and would require massive taxpayer subsidies, including state subsidies. A new plant would also cause large rate increases. First Energy, which owns the 2 nuclear power plants in northern Ohio, charges the highest electric rates in Ohio.