Nuclear waste in Texas? What to know about latest Supreme Court ruling that allows it
In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court has made it easier to consider the possibility of nuclear waste storage on the Texas-New Mexico border.
The high court rejected challenges to a nuclear waste storage site in the area on Wednesday, June 18, marking a victory for the federal government after a decade of legal wrangling by the state of Texas and the oil industry. The ruling, in a 6-3 decision, noted that they cannot challenge the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approval of the site because they "hadn't sufficiently participated in the commission's licensing proceedings."
Three conservative justices − Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito − dissented.
The Texas and oil industry objected, to no avail, to the waste being stored above ground in the Permian Basin, a prominent oil field region known for its underpopulated, wide-open spaces in southwestern Texas.
In 2021, the commission approved temporary storage sites in Texas due to nuclear power plants running out of space, and the planned permanent underground storage facility in Nevada's Yucca Mountain.
The federal government argued the storage was temporary while a permanent location was constructed.
According to USA reporting, Nevada's Yucca Mountain was the only authorized site where the Department of Energy could permanently store spent nuclear fuel; the Obama administration effectively nixed the project over political and environmental concerns.
No timeline was provided for when such waste could be stored in the region.
The Trump administration publicly defended the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's authority to approve temporary sites and noted it will try to revive the Yucca Mountain option as a place to store nuclear waste.
Beginning in the 1950s, the U.S. began large-scale nuclear power generation using nuclear fuel in reactors, along with an ongoing political debate over the disposal of spent fuel, once it can no longer efficiently generate electricity.
The 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act established a permanent repository for nuclear power plant waste, which is still considered hazardous for thousands of years.
USA Today contributed to this story.
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Nuclear waste in Texas? What to know about Supreme Court ruling
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tulsi Gabbard Flips Sides in MAGA Civil War Over Iran's Nuclear Capabilities
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has flipped her stance on Iran after President Donald Trump nuked her intelligence as 'wrong.' Gabbard told the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 25 that there was no intelligence to suggest Iran was building nuclear weapons, though the country had enriched its uranium to higher levels. Following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's June 12 'preemptive' strike on Iran—which he justified by saying that the country has a 'secret plan' to weaponize uranium—Trump sided with Israel's countervailing position. On two separate occasions this week, Trump rebuffed Gabbard's earlier assessment of Iran's nuclear program. 'I don't care what [Gabbard] said,' Trump said aboard Air Force One. 'I think they were very close to having one.' In another comment on Wednesday, the president added that Iran was 'a few weeks' away from turning their uranium into a weapon, echoing similar sentiments shared by Netanyahu. Then on Friday, Gabbard fell in line with Trump, attacking the media for having the gall to believe what she said. 'The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division,' Gabbard wrote to her 600K followers. 'America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly.' She added, 'President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree.' Gabbard included a clip of what she called her 'full testimony,' which has since racked up 8.9 million views. The world has been thrown into a state of limbo while Trump weighs a decision on whether to get the United States involved in strikes on Iran, a decision the country warned would be 'very dangerous.' In a statement read on Thursday by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump said he would make his decision 'within the next two weeks' based on the fact that there 'is a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future.' Reuters reported that the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with a group of European diplomats in Geneva on Friday for nuclear talks.
Fox News
25 minutes ago
- Fox News
Interventionists vs isolationists, GOP split on Iran
All times eastern Fox Report with Jon Scott Fox Report with Jon Scott FOX News Radio Live Channel Coverage WATCH LIVE: Failed senate candidate Beto O'Rourke joins Senator Bernie Sanders on the 'Fighting Oligarchy' Tour
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Filing for city elections has opened
Filing to run for a position on Huntsville City Council opened on Thursday, June 19. There are five positions up for election, including the Mayor and all four ward positions. The November 4, 2025 election is a Constitutional Amendment Election. Terms for election are for three year terms following the charter changes of 2023. 2025 Candidate packet Current Mayor Russell Humphrey announced his reelection campaign during a meet and greet held June 5th at Humphrey's Bar and Grill. The sitting ward members are Councilmember Ward 1 Tore Fossum, Councilmember Ward 2 Casey Cox, Councilmember Ward 3 Anissa Antwine, and Councilmember Ward 4 Jon Strong. Antwine announced her run for reelection on Saturday, June 14, during her Juneteenth address at the MLK Community Center. Strong confirmed he too will be seeking reelection. 'There is still important work to do to change the tree ordinance to preserve more of the east Texas forest. There is a tree ordinance passed in 2021, but it appears to be ineffective,' said Fossum, when he confirmed his campaign Friday. 'Further, the most important functions the city does are the clean safe drinking water and safely disposing of the sewage. Much of the infrastructure is decades old and deteriorating. The drainage comes next and that is a difficult topic because we can go years or decades between destructive heavy rain events as we saw in October of 2023 and May of 2024. Many of those who had water intrusion for the first time could protect their houses with swales and berms. However, the city does not pay for that. Clear cutting on higher land contributed to that at Elkins Lake.' Cox had no response as of press time Friday afternoon. Running for City Council To qualify as a candidate for city council, there are several requirements: — At the time of election to office and during their tenure of office, the Mayor and each member of the Council shall be a citizen and a qualified registered voter of the State of Texas and the City of Huntsville. — Be at least 21 years of age on the date of the election. — Be a resident of the City for at least 12 months preceding the election. — Resided continuously in the state of Texas for 12 months preceding the date of the regular filing deadline for a candidate's application for a place on the ballot. — If running for a specific Ward, the candidate must be a resident of that Ward. — No member of the Council shall be indebted to the City or be delinquent in the payment to the City of any tax or assessment. — No member of the Council shall hold any other office or employment under the City government. — Be a citizen of the United States. — Have not been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote; and — Have not been finally convicted of a felony from which the candidate has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities. Candidates are also subject to the requirements of the State's nepotism law, conflicts of interest law, and the loyalty clause. According to the city's election page, a member of the council ceasing to possess any of the qualifications will immediately forfeit their office. To be eligible as a candidate for councilmember from a specific ward, a person must be a resident of such ward.
