Senate Concurrent Resolution 525

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING AND HONORING THE 40-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF ENTERGY'S GRAND GULF NUCLEAR STATION LOCATED IN PORT GIBSON, MISSISSIPPI, AND RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANT ROLE NUCLEAR POWER PLAYS IN ENERGIZING LIFE IN MISSISSIPPI.

WHEREAS, we join the leadership and employees of Entergy and the citizens of Mississippi in honoring the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station on the occasion of its 40th Anniversary; and

WHEREAS, Entergy's Grand Gulf Nuclear Station located in Port Gibson, Mississippi, has been providing safe, low cost, reliable, low-emission electricity to nearly half a million Mississippians since 1985; and

WHEREAS, Grand Gulf has been an integral part of the generation portfolio of Entergy (90% owner) and Cooperative Energy (10% owner), providing a significant source of baseload power; and

WHEREAS, a power upgrade in 2012 increased the plant's efficiency and generation, making the facility the largest single-unit nuclear power plant in the country and the 5th largest in the world; and

WHEREAS, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted an operating license extension for the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station to continue to provide customers safe, secure and reliable nuclear power through the year 2044; and

WHEREAS, Grand Gulf, the state's only nuclear plant, provides Mississippians with the stable, long-term benefits of nuclear power and singlehandedly generates about 16% of the state's electricity while emitting no greenhouse gases; and

WHEREAS, Grand Gulf employs more than 800 highly skilled employees with an annual payroll of over $113 million and approximately $30 million in state and local taxes; and

WHEREAS, Grand Gulf provides the most affordable source of electric energy in Mississippi, an asset that has helped to attract new industry to the State of Mississippi as well as encourage business and industrial expansion throughout much of the state:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, that we do hereby commemorate and honor Entergy's Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, its leadership and employees, on its 40th anniversary, and extend our best wishes to this leading corporate citizen on this auspicious occasion.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution be presented to Entergy's Chief Nuclear Officer and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.