West Virginia joins the ranks of NLIC finalists

[Marlin]

I'm rooting for Tennessee. 

West Virginia joins the ranks of NLIC finalists

https://www.ans.org/news/2026-09-10/article-8379/west-virginia-joins-the-ranks-of-nlic-finalists/

[Core Content]

Governor Patrick Morrissey announced that federal officials added his state to the Department of Energy Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses program. West Virginia signed a memorandum of understanding, becoming the sixth finalist competing to host the upcoming nuclear facilities.

The Department of Energy initiative focuses heavily on the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle, including used fuel storage, recycling, and final waste disposition. Program officials emphasize that gaining public trust and establishing social license for waste management remains a primary objective for hosting communities across the country.

Earlier this week, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrissey announced that his state has been selected as a finalist for the Department of Energy's Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses (NLIC) program. It joins five other finalists—Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Utah—all of which are now in the running to host a facility or facilities...

The background: In January, the DOE announced the NLIC program and invited states via a request for information to express their interest in hosting a campus. By April, 26 states had submitted responses to that request.

At the end of July, the DOE signed memorandums of understanding with the first five finalists. Those MOUs, as is the case with the new West Virginia MOU, do not represent firm commitments from either party.

Read the full article at ans.org:
https://www.ans.org/news/2026-09-10/article-8379/west-virginia-joins-the-ranks-of-nlic-finalists/