Senator Davis proposes the following amendment (SJ-936.BJ0002S):

Amend the joint resolution, before the enacting words, by striking the eighth paragraph and inserting:

Whereas, the South Carolina General Assembly, through Senate Bill S. 51, ratified in May 2025 as Act 73, directed encouraged Santee Cooper to solicit competitive private sector bids for the restart and completion of V.C. Summer Nuclear Units 2 and 3, the partially constructed reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Jenkinsville, South Carolina, that were abandoned in 2017; and

Amend the joint resolution further, before the enacting words, after the eleventh paragraph by adding:

Whereas, the Savannah River Site currently stores more than 33 million gallons of legacy high-level radioactive waste as well as substantial quantities of spent nuclear fuel, and while the General Assembly opposes any expansion of the State's role as a destination for nuclear waste beyond its existing legal obligations, the legacy materials stored at the Savannah River Site and the nuclear materials the State is already obligated to receive under existing agreements represent longstanding remediation obligations that the State has an interest in discharging as completely and efficiently as possible; and

Whereas, a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus designation would position South Carolina to deploy advanced nuclear fuel cycle technologies, including, without limitation, electrochemical reprocessing, pyroprocessing, and molten salt extraction, to convert waste streams and nuclear materials already present at the Savannah River Site and those the State is otherwise obligated to receive into usable fuel for advanced reactors, thereby reducing stored waste volume and toxicity while generating economic value; and

Amend the joint resolution further,, by striking the MACROBUTTON NoMacro <> undesignated paragraph and inserting:

 (4) "V.C. Summer Units 2 and 3" means the partially constructed nuclear reactor units at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Jenkinsville, South Carolina, the restart and completion of which was directed encouraged pursuant to Act 73 of 2025.

Amend the joint resolution further,, by striking the MACROBUTTON NoMacro <> undesignated paragraph and inserting:

The General Assembly further finds that the enactment of Act 73 of 2025, directing encouraging Santee Cooper to solicit private sector bids for the completion of V.C. Summer Units 2 and 3, and Santee Cooper's subsequent award of that contract to Brookfield Renewable Partners, reflects South Carolina's demonstrated willingness to act decisively to advance nuclear energy development, and that the active restart and completion of those reactors will provide a singular operational asset- new nuclear construction underway within the state's borders- that no other prospective host state can offer to the federal government in connection with a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus.

The General Assembly further finds that the convening of a public-private steering committee by the South Carolina Department of Commerce reflects the coordinated, collaborative approach this initiative demands, and that the General Assembly's formal expression of support strengthens South Carolina's competitive position before the federal government.

The General Assembly further finds that a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus designation presents a singular opportunity to more fully and efficiently address the more than 33 million gallons of legacy high-level radioactive waste at the Savannah River Site and the nuclear materials South Carolina is already obligated to receive under existing agreements, and that the advanced reprocessing technologies such a campus would bring offer the prospect of converting those materials into usable nuclear fuel, reducing stored waste volume and toxicity, and accelerating the State's remediation timeline.

The General Assembly further finds and declares that its support for advanced reprocessing technologies is limited in scope to nuclear materials already present at the Savannah River Site and materials South Carolina is obligated to receive under existing legal agreements; that deploying these technologies to manage this universe of materials serves the State's direct interest in discharging its existing obligations more completely and reducing long-term storage burdens; and that nothing in this joint resolution shall be construed as consent to receive, process, or store nuclear waste beyond what South Carolina is already legally obligated to accept.

Amend the joint resolution further,, by striking the MACROBUTTON NoMacro <> undesignated paragraph and inserting:

Nothing in this joint resolution shall be construed as committing the State to a specific site, geographic region, fuel cycle activity, or financial obligation, and any future decisions regarding siting, funding, or formal agreements shall require separate legislative authorization and appropriate oversight. Each agency or subdivision of the state to which this joint resolution applies shall take all necessary actions to ensure that costs associated with the development of the State response and any subsequent actions taken to implement the State response are not unreasonably borne by South Carolina taxpayers or utility ratepayers.

Renumber sections to conform.

Amend title to conform.