A. Not later than ninety (90) days after the effective date of this act, the Corporation Commission shall start the process to engage an outside consulting firm to conduct a technical and legal feasibility study on nuclear energy generation in this state. This engagement shall be exempt from the state procurement process under Section 85.1 et seq. of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes and follow the Corporation Commission process to retain expert witnesses on behalf of the agency to ensure the ability to timely conduct the study and complete the requirements of this section. The consulting firm shall be well-established in the nuclear industry. B. The feasibility study shall evaluate and consider: 1. Advantages and disadvantages of generating nuclear energy in this state, including, but not limited to, the economic and environmental impacts; 2. Methods to maximize existing workforce and products made in this state for the construction of nuclear energy generation facilities; 3. Design characteristics, including recommendations for design specification and site selection; 4. Environmental and ecological impacts; 5. Land and siting criteria, including specific geographic areas that are best suited for new nuclear generation, as well as cities near military bases that may use new nuclear electric generation to meet the military resiliency requirements of 10 U.S.C., Section 2920; 6. Safety criteria; 7. Engineering and cost-related information; 8. Small modular nuclear reactor and microreactors capability; and 9. Socioeconomic factors, including, but not limited to: a. workforce education, training, and development, b. local and state tax base, c. supply chain capability, d. permanent and temporary job creation, e. timeline for development, including areas of potential efficiencies, and potential leveraging of existing facilities within this state, f. literature review of studies that have assessed the potential impact of nuclear energy generation, and g. policy recommendations to support nuclear energy generation, including a survey of federal programs to financially assist the development of a nuclear project in this state. C. The Corporation Commission in conjunction with retail electric suppliers and municipally owned electric utilities shall cooperate in providing information relevant to the feasibility study, providing for reasonable safeguards to protect confidential information. D. Not later than nine (9) months after the effective date of this act, the Corporation Commission shall electronically deliver the feasibility study findings to the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma State Senate, the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and the Governor. E. In the event the Corporation Commission is unable to hire a consultant to complete the report, the Commission is authorized to conduct a notice of inquiry and utilize the information received from the stakeholders in conjunction with a consulting firm to reduce the cost of gathering information for the purpose of the study and report.
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