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President Donald Trump’s plan to quadruple US nuclear power by 2050 hinges on solving the nation’s growing radioactive waste crisis.
According to documents reviewed by Politico, the Trump administration is proposing scrapping Nevada's Yucca Mountain as the nation's sole nuclear waste repository and instead partnering with states willing to store the radioactive material.
A White House official told the Daily Mail: 'The Trump administration continues to prioritize advancing civilian nuclear energy as evidenced in the Oval Office on Friday.'
Trump hosted executives from nuclear power companies at the White House last week to celebrate a new milestone in his effort to accelerate the industry's growth.
'America is building again, America is dreaming again, and we're leading the world in pioneering the next generation of nuclear power,' he said.
On Tuesday, five states, Tennessee, Utah, Louisiana, Idaho and Oklahoma, have already expressed interest in hosting the nuclear waste.
The DOE selected Tennessee, Utah, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Idaho from 28 applications submitted by 26 states.
The agency will ultimately pursue projects in up to three of the five finalists.
According to documents reviewed by Politico, the Trump administration is proposing scrapping Nevada's Yucca Mountain (pictured) as the nation's sole nuclear waste repository and instead partnering with states willing to store the radioactive material
Under the non-binding agreements, participating states would host nuclear campuses containing waste facilities, uranium enrichment, spent-fuel recycling and fuel production.
The sprawling sites could also include advanced reactors, power plants and energy-hungry data centers, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).
US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said on Tuesday: 'These campuses will be massive generators of economic growth, create thousands of high-paying jobs, and be crucial to unleashing America’s nuclear renaissance.
'The innovative concept is a direct result of President Trump’s leadership and ambitious directives to restore the domestic nuclear fuel cycle and get America’s nuclear industry growing again.'
The DOE said that the proposed innovation campuses have the potential to attract up to $50 billion in capital investment, generate as much as $10 billion in state and local tax revenue, and create nearly 25,000 jobs with the establishment of a campus.
Nearly 105,000 tons of nuclear waste have piled up across the US, mostly from decades-old reactors that generate about one-fifth of the nation's electricity.
Congress designated Yucca Mountain, about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, as the nation's sole permanent nuclear waste repository in 1987.
Although workers excavated a five-mile exploratory tunnel, the facility was never completed and has never received nuclear waste.
Nearly 105,000 tons of nuclear waste have piled up across the US, mostly from decades-old reactors that generate about one-fifth of the nation's electricity. Pictured is the outskirs of the Yucca Mountain Project
The project was defunded under the Obama administration amid fierce opposition from Nevada officials, residents and tribal groups concerned about groundwater contamination, earthquakes and the transportation of radioactive material through their communities.
Despite remaining the only permanent repository authorized under federal law, Yucca Mountain cannot accept waste because its licensing process was never completed.
However, major hurdles stand in the way, as Congress would need to rewrite the 1987 law designating Yucca Mountain as the only site for permanently disposing of commercial nuclear waste.
The US also has no commercial-scale facilities currently reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, although supporters say several companies are eager to deploy the technology.
Edwin Lyman, a nuclear specialist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, told Bloomberg: 'This is an attempt to try and package the unpalatable task of trying to find a radioactive waste disposal site for all the country’s spent fuel by packaging it with other activities that are more appealing.
'We believe there is not an alternative for safe disposal of spent nuclear fuel other than a mined geological repository.'
The death of the proposal has forced storage across 30 states, using water pools, heavy-duty dry casks and underground tanks.
On Tuesday, five states, Tennessee, Utah, Louisiana, Idaho and Oklahoma, have already expressed interest in hosting the nuclear waste
Utah has proposed building its campus in Tooele County, where operations could range from uranium enrichment and fuel production to spent-fuel reprocessing and nuclear waste disposal. Environmental groups have raised concerns about the potential site’s proximity to the Great Salt Lake.
Tennessee is pitching Oak Ridge, the historic home of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex.
State officials said the project could bring billions of dollars in investment and thousands of jobs.
Louisiana offered several possible locations across the northern, central and southern parts of the state, while Oklahoma has not yet selected a site and will begin consulting communities interested in hosting the campus.
Idaho Governor Brad Little also welcomed the state’s selection, pointing to its more than 70-year history of nuclear research and development.
In January, the DOE sought input from states on any interest they have in hosting sites for developing the nuclear fuel lifecycle, which includes storing nuclear waste and spent fuel reprocessing.
In their submissions, states outlined how a campus would advance goals such as workforce development, infrastructure investment, economic diversification, or technology leadership and described the scope of activities they envision hosting. States submitted responses by April 1, 2026.