In Montana, two bills easing the path for new nuclear power development moved forward in February. One bill would end a 43-year-old requirement requiring that decisions about building nuclear plants be put to a referendum and allow the legislature to decide.
Under a Senate resolution, a legislative committee or another panel would study the potential of smaller nuclear plants to replace aging coal-generation capacity in the state. Montana currently has no nuclear plants, and it is not part of a program under which federal authorities assist states interested in developing nuclear power plants.