Nuclear waste delivers a political haymaker. Five states say it can be done.

[Marlin]

Nuclear waste delivers a political haymaker. Five states say it can be done.

https://www.eenews.net/articles/nuclear-waste-delivers-a-political-haymaker-five-states-say-it-can-be-done/

[Core Content]

Oklahoma, Louisiana, Idaho, Tennessee, and Utah are competing to host Department of Energy-backed Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses. These proposed facilities aim to support the full nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium enrichment, fuel fabrication, and waste disposal. State officials view these projects as economic opportunities, projecting significant capital investment and job creation.

The initiative seeks to address the lack of a permanent U.S. repository following the cancellation of the Yucca Mountain project. While states offer varied disposal methods, including deep boreholes and underwater storage, technical and geological concerns remain. Success depends on navigating complex regulatory frameworks and securing local political support to avoid the historical opposition that stalled previous national waste management efforts.

From proposals to bury waste under the Gulf of Mexico to shooting canisters deep underground, GOP-led states mainly see economic opportunity.

Five Republican-led states are now jockeying to host nuclear technology hubs — and possibly spent nuclear fuel — in a show of heightened political interest in breaking through chronic barriers to new U.S. reactors.

Oklahoma, Louisiana, Idaho, Tennessee and Utah are in the running to host Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses — Energy Department-backed facilities that would support the full nuclear fuel cycle, from enriching uranium and fabricating fuel to reprocessing and disposing of waste.

Read the full article at E&E News by POLITICO:
https://www.eenews.net/articles/nuclear-waste-delivers-a-political-haymaker-five-states-say-it-can-be-done/