In October 2022, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced a goal of building a new nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia within the next 10 years, setting off a flurry of excitement among local economic development officials and outrage among local residents who are concerned about the health and safety risks of nuclear power.
Residents near Tennessee’s Oak Ridge Reservation, which produced enriched uranium for nuclear weapons, are concerned about flooding and the release of radioactive wastewater at a proposed landfill.
A federal judge recently ruled against a lawsuit filed by a coalition of environmental organizations attempting to prevent liquid nuclear waste from being shipped from Canada to South Carolina.
