January 25th, 2022 by WCBC Radio

 Signaling an eagerness to diversify its energy offerings, coal-dependent West Virginia would eliminate a ban on nuclear power plants under a bill that passed the state Senate on Tuesday. The bill was approved on a 24-7 vote. Three senators did not vote. A similar bill is pending in the House of Delegates. The state’s ban on nuclear plants was enacted in 1996, but nuclear power has in recent years gained support as a tool to keep climate change under control, with proponents noting that it emits few planet-damaging emissions and is safer on average than nearly any other energy source.