nuclear waste

Three of Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s opponents in the 2026 general election say they have concerns with Little’s proposed partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy to bring a new nuclear lifecycle innovation campus to Idaho.

Idaho would be required to accept spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste if the state becomes one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s new Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses.

Shannon James writes, "Extracting, processing, and using uranium leaves behind radioactive waste that poses long-term threats to human health and the environment."

The proposed trail would pass by the former Rocky Flats plant, which manufactured fission cores and was shut down following an FBI and EPA raid.

The future is uncertain for a privately owned high-level nuclear waste facility halfway between Hobbs and Carlsbad due to a new state law poised to go into effect June 15.