Washington lawmaker blocks state tax credit expansion favoring nuclear

Washington’s state senate majority leader recently blocked a tax break that would have provided extra time for nuclear projects to be eligible for tax credits.

The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Stephanie Barnard (R) of the Tri-Cities, plans to revive the bill in the Washington legislature’s 2026 session. She hopes to convince Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, a Seattle Democrat, to greenlight her bill.

But Pedersen is skeptical. Pedersen told Barnard he opposes any nuclear-related expansion in Washington state until the issue of permanently storing high-level nuclear waste is solved. The Yucca Mountain disposal site in Nevada was canceled by the Barack Obama administration.

“Until that [repository] problem is resolved, I am reluctant to provide material support to expanding the use of nuclear power,” Pedersen said in a statement released through his staff.

Barnard’s legislation, House Bill 1210, received strong bipartisan support in the House and in the Senate’s Ways & Means Committee. The 2025 legislative session ended April 27.

The bill addressed “Targeted Urban Area” tax credits, local property tax breaks of up to 10 years for projects built within five years or less. The bill would have added four years to the construction times for nuclear projects because of the traditionally long periods to win Nuclear Regulatory Commission approvals. Washington’s nuclear industry is centered in or around the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site near Richland and the surrounding Tri-Cities area.

Two nuclear fuel corporations — Framatome and Washington Energy LLC — want to build in Richland. Framatome has a long-time nuclear fuel manufacturing plant in northern Richland, almost literally across the street from Hanford. It plans to expand.

Washington Energy LLC is a brand-new corporation that wants to build a new nuclear plant to replace the nuclear fuel supply from Russia. Its site, likely in the vicinity of Hanford, has not been determined yet. Both projects would manufacture high-assay, low-enriched uranium fuel.

The Washington House passed Barnard’s bill , co-sponsored by Democrat Rep. Larry Springer from a Seattle suburb, by an 81-17 vote. The Senate Ways & Means Committee recommended passage of the bill by a 17-5 bipartisan vote.

Barnard said she had counted votes for a full Senate floor session, and concluded her bill would pass. But Senate leader Pedersen opposed the bill and controlled which bills get through the Senate Rules Committee.