The Supreme Court rejected challenges to a nuclear waste storage site near Texas’ border with New Mexico, a win for the federal government in a decadeslong struggle over what to do with waste that is byproduct of nuclear power plants.
In a 6-3 decision on June 18, the court said Texas and oil industry interests cannot fight the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approval of the site because they hadn't sufficiently participated in the commission’s licensing proceedings.
The court passed on deciding whether the commission had the authority to license the storage facility.
Three conservative justices − Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito − dissented.
The commission approved temporary storage sites in Texas in 2021 because nuclear power plants were running out of room and the permanent underground storage facility planned for Nevada’s Yucca Mountain stalled largely because of local opposition.
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