STATEHOUSE (Sept. 21, 2009) - Members of the Regulatory and Flexibility Commission will discuss the topic of nuclear energy in Indiana on Tuesday, Sept. 22, State Sen. Ed Charbonneau (R-Valparaiso) said.

Tuesday's meeting will be at 10 a.m. in the Senate Chamber of the Statehouse, said Charbonneau, a member of the committee.

"Job creation and preserving the environment are key goals members want to achieve," Charbonneau said.  "Lawmakers will listen to expert testimony which will aid in our recommendation to the Indiana General Assembly in January."

Part of the discussion will include power companies and if they should be allowed to charge rate payers during the construction of a facility. Current Indiana law allows utility companies to charge residents while building "clean coal" power plants - power plants that release decreased levels of carbon dioxide.

Today, 104 nuclear energy plants are located in the U.S. and generate 20 percent of the nation's power. Hoosiers in northern Indiana receive their electricity from a nuclear facility in southwestern Michigan. 

Tuesday's agenda will also include reports on the capture and storage of carbon dioxide emissions in Indiana.

To watch Tuesday's meeting live on the Internet, visit http://asx.ihets.org/senate/live.asx, Charbonneau said.

Sen. Charbonneau represents Senate District 5, which includes Starke County and portions of Porter, LaPorte, Marshall, Jasper, Pulaski, and St. Joseph counties.

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