Whereas the House of Representatives joins 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;

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;

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

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

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;

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 percent of the State’s electricity while emitting no greenhouse gases;

Whereas Grand Gulf employs more than 800 highly skilled employees with an annual payroll of over $113,000,000 and approximately $30,000,000 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