State officials halted work on the Marble Hill Nuclear Power Plant, an expensive construction project in southern Indiana, in 1984. Multiple reports cite failures in construction, including shoddy welding, as partly responsible for that project's abandonment. At the time, the state had sunk at least $2.5 billion into it.
A new law, HEA 1211, aims to help avoid welding issues on public projects in the future. The law's author, Rep. Michael Karickhoff (R-Kokomo), pointed to the Marble Hill incident during a legislative hearing earlier this year to exemplify the need for certified welders on certain projects.
"I had several people go, 'if we had had certified welders or Marble Hill, we wouldn't have had some of the problems that we have with that particular construction project years ago,'” Karickhoff said. “House Bill 1211 is good public policy that aims to strengthen Indiana's infrastructure, ensuring the best use of taxpayer dollars and the highest degree of public safety.”
The new law requires welders of “structural steel” on public works projects to be certified by the American Welding Society, at least at the “base level,” known as the D1.1 certification. The requirement does not extend to welding done in the private sector.
Join the conversation and sign up for the Indiana Two-Way. Text "Indiana" to 73224. Your comments and questions in response to our weekly text help us find the answers you need on statewide issues.
State agencies can set their own requirements for...
Menu thewest.com.auLoginSubscribe Today's PaperPlace an AdSunday, 13 September 2026 Regional WACourts & JusticeKalgoorlie Miner Man guilty of attempting to pervert course of justice given six ...