Recent news that Oklahoma was one of five finalists to become the home of a federal Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus was met with excitement over energy production and the potential for thousands of new jobs.
But there’s a tradeoff that didn’t get much attention. The campuses are designed to include facilities for storing and disposing of used nuclear fuel, and the federal solicitation that launched the program envisions selling disposal services to outside utilities and federal agencies and asks states to address interstate corridors for moving used fuel and high-level waste. Much of the material would originate outside the host state.
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