Leaked document reveals White House nuclear waste plan

A newly leaked document shows the White House is preparing a legislative push to change how the federal government manages nuclear waste. The plan aims to move beyond the long-stalled Yucca Mountain site in Nevada. Instead, the administration wants to authorize the Department of Energy to partner with states that are willing to host new nuclear innovation campuses.

These proposed sites would handle the full lifecycle of nuclear fuel. This includes production, recycling, and final disposition. To make these locations attractive to states, the administration is offering to pair them with new economic development. This includes the potential for additional nuclear power plants and large data centers that require steady energy supplies.

The document suggests several legal changes to federal law. Currently, the government is restricted to using Yucca Mountain for waste storage. The proposal would allow for greater flexibility in how waste is classified and managed. It also seeks to restart fees on nuclear generation to fund these disposal efforts.

More than 95,000 metric tons of nuclear waste currently sit at sites across the country. The White House is pushing to quadruple nuclear power production over the next 25 years. Officials argue that existing policy is insufficient to handle the volume of waste this growth will create. While states like Utah and Tennessee have expressed interest, the move signals a shift in strategy to address an issue that has remained deadlocked for decades in Congress.