Governor Brad Little signed a memorandum of understanding in July committing Idaho to accept out-of-state used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, a move that has reignited long-standing debates over the state’s role as a national storage site. The Department of Energy announced the agreement in late July without prior public notification from the governor’s office, according to reporting by idahocapitalsun.com.
The memorandum positions Idaho as a candidate for one of three states selected by the Trump administration to host a “Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus.” Under the proposal, the chosen states would be required to receive 33 percent of the radioactive waste generated by the remaining 47 states. Other candidate states include Utah, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
Congressman Mike Simpson supported the governor’s decision, arguing that the initiative would bring economic benefits to his eastern Idaho district. “Idaho didn’t become the nation’s nuclear leader by being afraid of hard problems,” Simpson told the Idaho Capital Sun.
A History of Federal Waste Disputes
The proposal contrasts sharply with decades of political resistance in Idaho to becoming a permanent repository for federal nuclear waste. The Idaho National Laboratory in eastern Idaho has served as a repository for national nuclear waste since the 1940s, but public trust has fluctuated significantly over the years.
In the late 1970s, reports revealed that low-level radioactive liquid waste had been poured down an injection well above the Snake River Aquifer. The General Accounting Office subsequently recommended that Idaho become a permanent national radioactive waste repository. Then-Governor John Evans and a Boise Republican legislator opposed the recommendation, and eastern Idaho legislators ultimately killed the ban bill.
Tensions escalated again in 1988 when Governor Cecil Andrus blocked the federal transport of radioactive waste from Rocky Flats, Colorado, to Idaho. Andrus stationed state police on a shipment that reached Blackfoot, Idaho, for a 24-hour detail. The standoff ended when the Colorado governor agreed to take the waste back, averting a broader crisis.
“Radioactive garbage from the nuclear reservation in Idaho could not – must not – be allowed to come anywhere near the Snake River Aquifer,” Andrus stated at the time, as first reported by the Idaho Capital Sun.
The 1995 Agreement
In 1995, Governor Phil Batt negotiated a landmark agreement with the federal government that prevented Idaho from becoming a permanent repository. The deal required the federal government to remove all waste from the state by 2035. Idaho voters overwhelmingly approved Batt’s agreement, signaling strong public opposition to indefinite storage.
Despite this history, Little and U.S. Sen. Jim Risch have said little or nothing about the new memorandum since its announcement. With elections approaching in November for both Little and Risch, the issue may become a focal point for voters concerned about environmental safety and state sovereignty.
The Idaho National Laboratory continues to be a hub for nuclear research and development. Recent projects highlight the state’s ongoing engagement with nuclear technology, including collaborations such as ISU and an Idaho Falls firm building a heat-focused microreactor at the Pocatello campus and Deployable Energy reaching a nuclear milestone at INL. However, the distinction between research innovation and long-term waste storage remains a critical point of contention for many Idahoans.
The Trump administration has not yet announced which three states will be selected for the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus. The decision will determine whether Idaho resumes its role as a primary recipient of national radioactive waste, reversing decades of policy aimed at removing such materials from state soil.