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Supreme Court Clears the Way for Nuclear Waste Storage
TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO, JUN 18 – The Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling clears a major legal barrier for private interim nuclear waste storage facilities licensed for 40 years, addressing a backlog of 100,000 metric tons nationwide.
- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 18 to allow construction of a private interim nuclear waste storage facility in Andrews County, Texas, restarting these plans after a federal appeals court had blocked the license.
- This decision follows decades of stalled efforts to secure a permanent storage site, including the selection of Yucca Mountain in 1987 and its later defunding amid strong local opposition and safety concerns.
- The licensed facility by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, applied for in 2018, would store up to 40,000 metric tons of spent fuel rods and radioactive waste on an interim basis for up to 40 years near the Texas-New Mexico border.
- Experts highlight that most spent fuel, now over 90,000 metric tons stored at 70 sites across 35 states, remains difficult to relocate, and commentators note this court ruling removes a major legal obstacle but does not finalize licensing challenges.
- The ruling could revive related projects such as New Mexico’s Eddy-Lea facility, though bipartisan opposition from local officials warns of long-term risks, emphasizing the continuing challenge to find consensus on nuclear waste storage.
30 Articles
30 Articles
The Supreme Court just issued a ruling on nuclear waste. What does that mean for San Onofre?
A place to perhaps store at least some of the 3.55 million pounds of waste sitting at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station remains in play after a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court — but plenty of hurdles loom before the spent fuel ever gets moved off the beach. In a 6-3 decision issued Wednesday, the high court said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was within its rights to grant a 40-year lease to a private company in West Texas that wante…
Supreme Court clears way for temporary nuclear waste storage in Texas and NM
Supreme Court clears the way for temporary nuclear waste storage in Texas and New MexicoBy Mark Sherman, Associated Press, and Emily Foxhall, The Texas TribuneJune 19, 2025"Supreme Court clears the way for temporary nuclear waste storage in Texas and New Mexico" was first published by The Texas Trib...
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