In-Depth: Tennessee Governor Wants State to Be Leader in Nuclear Energy

In this Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016 photo, sit manager, Jim Chardos, lowers his head as he talks about Tennessee Valley Authority selling the unfinished Bellefonte Nuclear Plant, in Hollywood, Ala. After spending more than 40 years and $5 billion on an unfinished nuclear power plant in northeastern Alabama, the nation's largest federal utility is preparing to sell the property at a fraction of its cost. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

The state that was home to the Manhattan Project creating the atomic bomb and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is seeking to become the national leader in nuclear energy. Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed an executive order advancing nuclear energy in the state on May 16.

Lee’s order (pdf) establishes the Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council, aiming to promote and invest in “safe, clean and reliable nuclear energy” and create a $50 million fund to help recruit companies in the nuclear industry to the state.