http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9MS0LBO0.htmOn the 25th anniversary of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, and as officials in Japan deal with the fallout from a nuclear plant damaged by a tsunami, the Republican (edit:moran)-controlled Iowa House approved a measure Tuesday aimed at spurring the development of the state's second nuclear power plant
If approved, it would clear the way for MidAmerican Energy, the state's largest utility, to begin billing customers in advance for the estimated $1 billion cost of developing one or more small modular nuclear reactors that could be on line as early as 2020.
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The House rejected a series of efforts by critics to modify the measure and approved it in a 68-30 vote. It now goes to the Democratic-led Senate, where it faces an uncertain future.
"I think this is a huge step for Iowa," said Rep. Chuck Soderberg, R (edit:moran)-Le Mars, the bill's main supporter. "This is a huge step if we want to grow this state."
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