US regulators OK spent nuclear fuel facility in New Mexico
May 9, 2023, 11:37 AM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. nuclear regulators have licensed a multibillion-dollar complex to temporarily store tons of spent fuel in New Mexico from commercial nuclear power plants around the nation.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued its decision Tuesday about the proposed project in southeastern New Mexico. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the state’s congressional delegation oppose locating the storage complex in the state, saying they fear New Mexico will become the nation’s dumping ground for spent nuclear fuel because the federal government has no permanent solution for the waste piling up at commercial reactors around the country.
The agency was initially expected to issue a decision and a final safety report on the proposed facility by the end of March, but was delayed by staffing constraints.
