LETTER: Why should we subsidize nuke plants and giant data centers?

An opinion piece, referencing Ronald Reagan's principle on subsidies, questions the priorities of Iowa state lawmakers. Legislators are reportedly seeking to pass House File 2757, a sales tax exemption that could cost taxpayers $65 million. This exemption is intended to facilitate the restart of the Duane Arnold Energy Center, Iowa's only nuclear power plant, which was shut down six years ago near Cedar Rapids. The author criticizes this legislative effort, arguing that such subsidies encourage the proliferation of both costly nuclear power plants—which produce long-lasting radioactive waste—and 'giant data centers' that are significant consumers of energy and water resources. The core argument is whether the state should be incentivizing developments that 'gobble up our energy and water resources' without clear justification.