A Preview of 2026
Nuclear Updates:
Left: Senator Danny Carroll outlines future nuclear plans for the Ky. Legislature.
Right: Nuclear Symposium Panelists Lane Boldman (KCC), Rodney Andrews (U.K. Applied Energy Research), Sen. Danny Carroll, and Y. Charles Lu (U.K. Col. of Engineering)
Last week, Kentucky Conservation Committee was one of four panelists represented at the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Symposium—one of the sessions during the Kentucky Academy of Science Annual Meeting. The panel included KCC Director Lane Boldman, Senator Danny Carroll, Rodney Andrews from the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research and Y. Charles Lu from U.K.’s Pigman College of Engineering in Paducah. Senator Carroll gave a preview of what to expect during the upcoming legislative session, while Rodney Andrews and Charles Lu discussed details about the science involved in new generation nuclear technology and the need for workforce development. KCC’s contribution to the panel included how these new technologies play into the current energy mix, the environmental impacts of nuclear technology, and legacy lessons from host communities. [You may find KCC’s presentation slides here.] We plan on having a complete overview of the nuclear landscape at KCC’s 2026 Legislative Summit in January.
Artificial Intelligence, Data Centers:
The discussions on nuclear energy marry up with activities from the Interim Artificial Intelligence Special Committee, which was charged to study the use of Ai in the state, and foster innovation and competitiveness, including for data centers. While data center projects have been increasing, there are also discussions happening on how nuclear energy may play a role in the future, where the U.S. Dept. of Energy is currently collecting proposals for building and powering data centers in Paducah. The Ai committee released their task force recommendations during their last meeting on November 13th. Partial highlights from those recommendations included:
Considering legislative changes to the Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act to strengthen consumer protections as data collection processes change with the evolution of AI technology.
Acknowledging that AI technology may be harmful to minors and consider legislative polices for the protection of minors on social media platforms.
Creating or facilitating the creation of an AI work group.
Considering legislative polices for data centers' need for large amounts of water and power.
Climate Change, Disaster Planning:
One of the other “special committees” that just concluded during the Interim Session was the Disaster Prevention and Resiliency Task Force, co-chaired by Senator Robin Webb and Rep. Chris Freeland. After having met throughout the Interim Session, the committee discussed several recommendations for lawmakers, including establishing a state-level Chief Resilience Officer position. We were pleased to hear that one of the recommendations involves an assessment of stream gauges to monitor water levels — a recommendation that was provided by our allies at the Appalachian Citizens Law Center, where their office is located in some of the most significant flood impacted communities in Eastern KY.
While the final report is still to be released this week, it was stated that it will include recommendations for public education, establishing long-term recovery groups, enhancing sheltering programs and search-and-rescue programs, and addressing mitigation. More here.
Save the Date! KCC Legislative Summit 2026
Mark your calendars for KCC’s annual Legislative Summit, which will be held once again at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Sunday afternoon on January 25th from 1-5PM. We are planning for a full afternoon to prepare you for the 2026 General Assembly, where we will provide detailed briefs on the above topics and more! Our agenda is still under development, so stand by for updates. The event is free to KCC members in good standing. You can reserve your seat for this annual conference here.