SCR 66

CHAPTER 191  1
  CHAPTER 191
  ( SCR 66 )
      A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville to
explore opportunities to participate in federal nuclear-related programs and to expand their curricula to offer courses
and degree paths to train the workforce that will construct and operate the next generation of nuclear energy facilities.
       WHEREAS, with the passage of Senate Bill 11 in 2017, the General Assembly lifted the moratorium on the
construction of new nuclear power facilities that had been in place for decades; and
      WHEREAS, interest in developing the nuclear energy ecosystem in Kentucky has never been greater for many
reasons, including but not limited to the momentum created by the convening of the Nuclear Energy Development
Working Group and the recommendations it produced for the establishment of the Kentucky Nuclear Energy
Development Authority; and
       WHEREAS, the emergence of promising new nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors, may be
useful in a range of applications in the Commonwealth; and
       WHEREAS, there is increasing need for new baseload energy generation to be sited in the Commonwealth in
order to maintain the resiliency and reliability of the electric grid; and
      WHEREAS, there are 25 university research nuclear reactors located across the United States, including at
universities in the neighboring states of Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio; and
       WHEREAS, universities with research nuclear reactors and universities that have sharing agreements with
those universities are eligible for research funding from the United States Department of Energy's Nuclear Energy
University Program; and
        WHEREAS, cutting-edge nuclear research is being conducted at these universities, including at Texas A&M
University, where in February 2025, the university offered land to four nuclear power companies to construct and test
the latest prototypes of small modular reactors; and
       WHEREAS, the Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky and the Brown Cancer Center at the
University of Louisville already use various radioactive isotopes in their radiopharmaceuticals to treat metastatic
neuroendocrine tumors and prostate cancer, with researchers also conducting clinical trials to possibly expand their
use to treatment of breast, colon, hand and neck, lung, pancreatic, and other cancers; and
      WHEREAS, as part of the development of the nuclear energy ecosystem in the Commonwealth, universities
should take a lead role in exploring opportunities to participate in the latest nuclear energy research and expand their
course offerings to contribute to the development of the nuclear energy workforce in the Commonwealth;
       NOW, THEREFORE,
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the House of
Representatives concurring therein:
       Section 1. The General Assembly urges the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville to
explore opportunities to participate in the United States Department of Energy's Nuclear Energy University Program
and to expand their curricula to offer courses and degree paths to train the workforce that will construct and operate
the next generation of nuclear energy facilities.
       Section 2. The General Assembly further encourages the University of Kentucky and the University of
Louisville to engage and collaborate with the United States Department of War to explore possible nuclear energy-
related grant funding and research opportunities that may become available as the universities expand their
contributions to the development of the nuclear energy ecosystem in the Commonwealth.
      Section 3. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this Resolution and notification of its
passage to Eli Capilouto, President, University of Kentucky, 101 Main Building, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, and
Gerry Bradley, President, University of Louisville, Grawemeyer Hall, Suite 102, Louisville, Kentucky 40292.
  Signed by Governor April 23, 2026.
  Legislative Research Commission PDF Version