Idaho gets waiver to bring in new shipments of spent nuclear fuel
Idaho has struck a deal with the Trump administration to advance nuclear energy research.
The state and the U.S. Department of Energy agreed to a waiver of a 1995 settlement agreement that established deadlines for removing nuclear waste from the Idaho National Laboratory site while allowing for limited shipments for research and development at the lab, according to a news release.
The waiver enables INL to receive new shipments of spent nuclear fuel, including a high burnup nuclear fuel cask from a commercial nuclear power plant in Virginia, the North Anna Power Station, for research purposes.
The shipment could arrive in 2027.
The research would evaluate how the fuel performs during long-term dry storage. That data is needed by over 53 nuclear sites nationwide to renew their licenses and continue storing nuclear fuel, the release said.
“We look forward to utilizing our unique facilities and expertise to support this critical national need,” INL Director John Wagner said in the release.
INL is the country’s leading nuclear-energy research laboratory. It employs thousands of workers, including engineers, scientists, support staff and cleanup crews responsible for removing and shipping out of state thousands of tons of radioactive and hazardous waste long buried at its site in eastern Idaho. The site, which covers 890 square miles, is located between Blackfoot, Arco and Idaho Falls.
State leaders say the waiver promotes national security and energy independence. They also say it will bring in more funding and jobs. The research would help sustain the current U.S. nuclear reactor fleet, which produces nearly 20% of the nation’s electricity.
“We are proud to support innovation in nuclear energy that will support national security and energy independence into the future,” Idaho Gov. Brad Little said in Tuesday’s release.
Attorney General Raul Labrador said in the release that the nuclear waste will be dealt with safely and responsibly.
“Idaho will always protect our land, our people and our future,” he said.
Leigh Ford, executive director of the Snake River Alliance, a nonprofit focused on nuclear and clean energy issues in Idaho, expressed concerns Tuesday about how the nuclear waste will be dealt with and where it will go once INL is done with its research. Ford said high-burnup nuclear fuel poses increased storage, safety and proliferation risks.
“In addition, transportation of radioactive waste to the Idaho National Lab puts communities at risk,” Ford told the Idaho Statesman by email. “People usually don’t know when or where nuclear waste is traveling on rails and roads. Accidents happen, and nuclear accidents can be catastrophic.”
The unique 1995 settlement agreement resolved a lawsuit filed by the state of Idaho to prevent INL from becoming a national repository for commercial spent nuclear fuel and other waste.
It required the Energy Department to take several actions, including preventing shipments of spent nuclear fuel, treating and removing nuclear waste and transferring spent nuclear fuel from wet storage to dry storage, according to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.
The waiver now lets INL bring more nuclear waste into the state in a single year than it originally agreed to.
This story was originally published April 29, 2025 at 2:13 PM.
