Morrisey rules out nuclear waste at proposed federal hub

State limits its nuclear proposal

Gov. Patrick Morrisey has directed the West Virginia Office of Energy to reserve every site in the state’s final Nuclear Campus application for nuclear power generation or manufacturing, not nuclear waste disposal. He said West Virginia would not become a dumping ground for nuclear waste.

The restriction creates a conflict with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses program. Federal officials have asked participating states to explain how they would manage spent nuclear fuel, used nuclear material and related waste. Waste management is a core part of the proposed campuses, alongside fuel enrichment, advanced reactors and reprocessing of used material.

West Virginia was one of six states under consideration as finalists. Its 48-page presentation to the Energy Department proposed beginning with spent-fuel recycling and interim storage, then expanding into advanced reactors and manufacturing. A spokesman for Morrisey said the governor’s newer directive superseded that proposal.

Host agreement faces deadline

West Virginia faced a Sept. 30 deadline to complete a legally binding host agreement. If an agreement was not signed by then, either the state or federal government could end the partnership.

The state could seek an agreement that excludes spent-fuel handling, but that would not match the federal program’s stated scope. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said another state could be chosen if West Virginia could not meet the application’s requirements.

Capito, chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, also said potential host states need a clear understanding of the program and confidence that waste would be managed safely. During a committee hearing, she described the federal proposal as offering economic benefits in exchange for a host state accepting permanent disposal of part of the nation’s nuclear waste inventory.