ALBUQUERQUE \u2013 There are no environmental reasons that would prevent a New Jersey-based company from building a multibillion-dollar facility in southern New Mexico to temporarily store tons of spent nuclear fuel from commercial power plants around the nation, U.S. regulators said Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued its final environmental review of the project, marking a key step forward as Holtec International pursues a license to build and operate the facility. A safety review is still pending.<\/p>\n
New Mexico\u2019s governor and members of the state\u2019s congressional delegation have been vocal opponents of the project, arguing that the state stands to become a sacrifice zone if more nuclear waste is shipped in from elsewhere. They have raised concerns about the failure of the federal government to identify a permanent solution for dealing with the radioactive material that has been stacking up at nuclear power plants.<\/p>\n
The commission already granted a license for a similar storage facility in West Texas, but top officials in that state continue to fight the effort in court and through possible legislative means.<\/p>\n
U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced legislation earlier this year to prohibit federal money from being used to carry out any activities at private interim storage sites.<\/p>\n
Heinrich said Wednesday that New Mexicans didn\u2019t sign up for this type of interim storage in their backyards.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis decision from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission reinforces why we need to find a permanent repository and the importance of consent-based siting. Private facilities shouldn\u2019t be railroading states,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in a statement accused the commission of \u201cchoosing profit over public interest.\u201d She also called on the state Legislature to deliver a proposal that would protect New Mexico from becoming the de facto home of the country\u2019s spent nuclear fuel.<\/p>\n
The facility in New Mexico initially would store up to 8,680 metric tons of used uranium fuel. Future expansion could make room for as many as 10,000 canisters of spent fuel over six decades.<\/p>\n
Local officials from adjacent communities have praised the project for its potential to bring jobs and boost economic development in a region that already is home to one of the world\u2019s most productive oil and gas deposits, the U.S. government\u2019s only underground nuclear dump for defense-related waste and a uranium enrichment plant.<\/p>\n
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway and Hobbs Mayor Sam Cobb said in a joint statement issued by Holtec that the commission\u2019s environmental review verified the safety of the project.<\/p>\n
Holtec CEO Kris Singh said the storage facility will have no impact on the local oil, gas or potash mining operations or the lives of local farmers and ranchers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe that aggregating used fuel from 75 dispersed sites across the country is both a national security imperative and an essential predicate for the rise of renascent nuclear energy to meet our nation\u2019s clean energy goals,\u201d Singh said.<\/p>\n
Despite opposition from environmentalists, the Biden administration has pointed to nuclear power as essential to achieving its goals to create a carbon-free\u202felectricity\u202fsector by\u202f2035.<\/p>\n
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, nuclear reactors across the country produce more than 2,000 metric tons of radioactive waste a year, with most of it remaining on-site because there\u2019s nowhere else to put it. The federal government is paying to house the fuel, and the cost is expected to stretch into the tens of billions over the next decade, according to a review by independent government auditors.<\/p>\n
Federal regulators in September granted a license for an interim storage facility in Andrews County, Texas. That facility is licensed to take up to 5,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel rods from power plants and more than 231 metric tons of other radioactive waste. Possible expansion could increase the total capacity to 40,000 metric tons of fuel, but additional regulatory approval would be needed.<\/p>\n
After regulators approved that site, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted: \u201cTexas will not become America\u2019s nuclear waste dumping ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
In its federal appeals court challenge, Texas is arguing now that the NRC didn\u2019t have authority to issue the license since Congress didn\u2019t intend to grant such power to the commission.<\/p>\n