Federal officials said Tuesday that five states have been chosen as possible sites to host facilities that would accept nuclear waste from around the country — a development welcomed by Nevada elected officials who oppose using Yucca Mountain as a nuclear waste dump.
The likelihood that the proposed Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses will be constructed outside the Silver State could put the long-controversial Yucca Mountain repository proposal on the back burner. Nevada officials on both sides of the political aisle have for decades opposed using the mountain, which is about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, as a nuclear waste storage site.
The Department of Energy said in a news release that it has entered into preliminary agreements that could make Utah, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Idaho potential host states, describing them as initial contenders. The five Republican governors touted the possible partnership.
Gov. Joe Lombardo praised the announcement.
“It demonstrates a willingness to finally move beyond the failed Yucca Mountain Project that Nevada has opposed for decades,” the Republican governor said in a statement. “While more work remains and we’re still learning the details, I’m encouraged by the Administration’s efforts to provoke discussions on Capitol Hill on the development of a new nuclear waste management strategy for our nation.”
Lombardo added: “Nevada looks forward to working with the Administration and Congress as those discussions get underway to secure a long-term solution that will terminate the Yucca Mountain Project, respect state sovereignty, and meaningfully address America’s nuclear waste challenges.”
‘Yucca Mountain is dead’
Some in Nevada’s congressional delegation also lauded the announcement.
“I am glad to see the Trump Administration take a step toward acknowledging what Nevadans have known for years: Yucca Mountain is dead,” said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., in a statement. “But I’m not going to take anything for granted – I’ll keep fighting until I know for sure that the Department of Energy will always give state and local stakeholders the seat at the table they deserve when making decisions about nuclear waste storage.”
Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., said that Nevadans have been clear about not wanting their state to become a dumping ground for nuclear waste.
“It’s about time for the Trump Administration to finally recognize we will not allow nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain,” she said in a statement. “Until the law changes and a solution to nuclear waste storage is found, I will never stop fighting to keep nuclear waste out of Nevada and ensure any decision about nuclear waste has the consent of impacted communities.”
26 states applied
The DOE did not immediately return a message seeking comment about what the announcement might mean for Nevada.
The proposed nuclear campuses, the department said, would be designed to support the full life cycle of nuclear fuel, including its fabrication, enrichment and final disposition. If built as planned, the sites could create nearly 25,000 jobs, generate up to $50 billion in capital investments and as much as $10 billion in tax revenues, according to the news release.
“Depending on state priorities and regional capabilities, the campuses may also host advanced reactor deployment, power generation, advanced manufacturing, and co located data centers,” the release said.
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in the release that the energy department had reviewed 28 applications from 26 states.
“These campuses will be massive generators of economic growth, create thousands of high-paying jobs, and be crucial to unleashing America’s nuclear renaissance,” Wright said. “The innovative concept is a direct result of President (Donald) Trump’s leadership and ambitious directives to restore the domestic nuclear fuel cycle and get America’s nuclear industry growing again.”
‘Monumental victory for Nevada’
“Today’s announcement that five states are offering long-term storage of 95 metric tons of nuclear waste is a monumental victory for Nevada,” said Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., in a statement. “After decades of Yucca Mountain being singled out for the storage of high-level nuclear waste, we are no longer being targeted for storing waste we haven’t created.”
Titus said the announcement aligns with the Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act she introduced last year, co-sponsored by her Nevada Democratic Reps. Steven Horsford and Susie Lee.
If signed into law, the legislation would require written consent from the governor, affected local governments and impacted tribes before a nuclear repository facility could move forward. Neither proposal has advanced out of committee.
The offices of Horsford, Lee and Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., did not immediately comment on the development. On Monday, Horsford shared a Politico story that reported on leaked documents related to the energy department’s announcement.
“Reminder to the Trump administration,” he wrote on X. “Nevada has not been and will never be the nation’s nuclear dumping ground. Hard stop.”
DOE said it invited states to submit statements of interest with constructive feedback on the campuses by April 1.
“In their submissions, states outlined how a campus would advance goals such as workforce development, infrastructure investment, economic diversification, or technology leadership and described the scope of activities they envision hosting,” the department said.
The announcement comes as Trump attempts to quadruple domestic nuclear energy production amid surging electricity demand from data centers and artificial intelligence.
Trump also has moved to reshape the independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission to speed up nuclear reactor development. Under Trump’s direction, the commission has proposed eliminating a foundational safety principle that for 50 years minimized the radiation people in the United States are exposed to.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
