Supreme Court Greenlights Nuclear Waste Site in West Texas

The U.S. Supreme Court just cleared a big legal hurdle for a temporary nuclear waste storage site in West Texas.

The project would hold thousands of tons of spent nuclear fuel. That’s the radioactive stuff left over from nuclear power plants. Texas tried to block it, along with a group of landowners, but the Court ruled 6–3 that they didn’t have the legal standing to challenge the plan.

The Case Was Thrown Out on a Technicality

Instead of deciding whether the project itself is legal, the Court focused on the process. Since Texas and the landowners didn’t officially join the licensing process back in 2021, the justices said they couldn’t bring a lawsuit now.

Basically, they missed the window to make their argument.

Temporary Sites Are Filling the Gap

Right now, there’s nowhere permanent to put nuclear waste in the U.S. Plans for a long-term site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada have been stalled for years. In the meantime, waste from power plants is piling up(nearly 100,000 tons of it so far.) That’s where these temporary sites in Texas and New Mexico come in.

State Leaders Are Not Happy

Texas Governor Greg Abbott and New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham have both strongly opposed the projects, saying their states shouldn’t become dumping grounds. Three justices also dissented, saying the license shouldn’t have been allowed in the first place.

This ruling doesn’t mean construction starts tomorrow. But it does take away one of the biggest roadblocks, pushing the project closer to becoming reality, whether Texas wants it or not.