Show Up Tonight. Your Questions Deserve Answers.

The Speaker Has Changed. The Questions Haven't.

When McCracken County officials originally announced the June 11 and 12 Nuclear Energy Community Meetings, they listed Dr. Patrick White as the featured presenter. Dr. White is an advanced nuclear and technology expert with credentials in nuclear energy safety, regulation, waste management, and nonproliferation — exactly the kind of expertise KNEDA's Nuclear-Ready Community designation process requires.

Dr. White is no longer presenting.

He has been replaced by Kara Colton, a community engagement consultant who has spent her career advancing nuclear development on behalf of industry-affiliated clients. This is not an independent expert presenting balanced information. This is someone whose livelihood depends on advancing nuclear development. Her educational background is a B.A. in Spanish and Government Affairs, and an M.A. in European Politics. She is not a nuclear scientist or engineer.

That matters — because KNEDA's designation process requires that educational meetings cover advanced nuclear energy technologies. Policy advocacy and community relations are valuable skills. But they are not the same as technical expertise in how these facilities work, what they emit, or what risks they carry.

Here's what residents should keep in mind tonight and tomorrow morning:

You are allowed to ask questions. Write them down. Ask them out loud.

YOUR UPDATED GUIDE: June 11 & 12 Community Meetings

➡️ Paducah-McCracken County Convention and Expo Center

Thursday, June 11 - 5:30–7:30 PM

Friday, June 12 - 8:00–10:00 AM

Who is presenting — and what to know

Kara Colton, the announced speaker, has worked in nuclear policy and government relations for over 20 years. Her degrees are in political science and European politics — not nuclear science, engineering, or environmental health. She previously served as Director of Nuclear Policy at the Energy Communities Alliance, an organization that advocates for nuclear-ready development in communities, and now consults through her own firm, Kaco Group.

This is not an attack on Ms. Colton. It is a factual observation that the presenter does not have the same technical qualifications as the person originally announced — and that KNEDA requires documentation that meetings covered advanced nuclear energy technologies.

Questions to ask during public comment:

1. What are your academic degrees in, and do any of them involve nuclear science, engineering, or radiological health?

   
   

2. KNEDA requires that these meetings cover advanced nuclear energy technologies. Can you explain what specific technical content tonight's presentation will include to satisfy that requirement?
   

3. The original presenter, Dr. Patrick White, was described as a nuclear and technology expert. Why was he replaced, and when was that decision made?
   

4. The Energy Communities Alliance receives funding from DOE and works to advance nuclear development. Does that create a conflict of interest in presenting at a meeting designed to be educational and balanced?
   

5. No speaker tonight represents environmental health, Superfund remediation, or community health concerns. Why not?
   

6. Will the county submit tonight's meeting as documentation toward KNEDA designation — and if so, what materials will be submitted?
   

What this designation actually means

A Nuclear-Ready Community designation signals to state and private developers that McCracken County is prepared to host nuclear-related development. Once the designation is granted, it cannot be undone by community opposition alone. The time to ask questions is now — before the county formally applies.

Our Ask

Before any permits are issued, before any designation is granted, and before McCracken County commits further to this path — we are calling for an independent cumulative environmental impact study covering all proposed projects on and adjacent to the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant Superfund site.

No single agency is currently required to assess the combined impact of these projects together. That gap is not an oversight. It is a problem — and residents deserve answers before it becomes a consequence.

Show up tonight. Ask the hard questions. And tell your elected officials: we want an independent study before this goes any further.

Show up. Speak up. Get it on the record.

For more information, visit Your Guide to the June 11 & 12 Nuclear Energy Community Meetings