Public Risk for Private Profit: Why Privatizing Nuclear Waste Storage Is a Dangerous Precedent
In the face of decades of government inaction on permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel - the most radioactive of all reactor wastes - private companies approached the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) with a proposal: let us handle it. As a result, the NRC issued waste storage licenses to two private entities—Interim Storage Partners and Holtec International—to consolidate ALL of the nation’s spent nuclear fuel in two small communities located in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico.
But while this may appear innovative, the truth is far more troubling. Handing over the nation’s most dangerous materials to private companies could erode public accountability, weaken safety oversight, and create long-term risk with no clear exit plan.
Why the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is to Blame
The NRC is responsible for licensing and regulating civilian use of nuclear materials and facilities and entrusted with the protection of public health and safety, the environment, and national security. The agency is responsible for overseeing commercial nuclear power plants and managing nuclear waste—including the long-term storage and disposal of radioactive waste. The agency is:
Bound by federal law, including the Nuclear Waste Policy Act
Subject to public oversight and Congressional reporting
Required to act in the public’s interest—not for private profit
In contrast, private companies are beholden to shareholders and business investors—not generational public safety.
Private Companies Aren’t Built for Centuries of Risk
High-level radioactive waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel that comes out of a reactor core remains dangerous for tens of thousands of years. During that time, a private corporation:
Could dissolve, go bankrupt, or be bought out
Has no long-term public accountability mechanism
Cannot guarantee safety for future generations
When the risks are measured in centuries, short-term business incentives just don’t add up.
No Meaningful Public Input
When the NRC licensed two private companies to consolidate and indefinitely store spent nuclear fuel from reactors, the NRC licensing process:
Lacked objective, meaningful community engagement
Moved forward without state or federal voter approval or legislative debate
Framed local opposition as a hurdle and dismissed every contention raised in opposition
The NRC dismissed over one hundred contentions, mountains of data, and ignored evidence in order to ensure that no party in opposition could ever prevail. The NRC licensing process is flawed in their favor. The agency violates the spirit of consent-based siting and has set a dangerous precedent that companies can buy their way around public resistance and Congressional authority is irrelevant.
Why the NRC’s License Undermines the Law
The NRC’s issuance of waste licenses for indefinite storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel to both Interim Storage Partners and Holtec International directly contradicts the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, which:
Requires federal management of high-level waste
Does not authorize the NRC to issue licenses for de facto permanent private storage
Explicitly states that storage and disposal cannot be decoupled
If allowed to proceed, this decision redefines national nuclear waste policy without Congressional authority..
An Unnecessary Risk
Long-term radioactive exposure for communities along the transport routes and in the region of the waste storage sites of West Texas & New Mexico
Dangerous erosion of federal accountability
Billions in public funds wasted while private profits grow
Indefinite storage is Permanent Storage - under the guise of a “temporary” fix
We Need Public Oversight, Not Private Loopholes
This isn’t about opposing nuclear energy. It’s about doing the hard work of real, ethical, long-term planning as required by law.
Private companies should not be allowed to assume the burden of centuries of risk—and rural communities should not be forced to absorb that risk - despite their opposition.
The NRC must be held accountable. Congress must act. The Courts must act. And communities must be heard.
📢 TAKE ACTION
Private profit should never come at the cost of public safety. Licensing a private nuclear waste facility without broad consent sets a dangerous precedent—one that puts our communities at risk while corporations cash in. The government’s responsibility is to protect its people, not to sidestep oversight in favor of speed and secrecy. Add your voice now and tell the White House: stop the NRC from prioritizing corporate interests over community safety. Demand a consent-based, transparent process for nuclear waste storage.