A manager with Battelle Memorial Institute said Wednesday the company is in final discussions with multiple landowners for a potential borehole field test site in South Dakota, and organizers will hold an additional public meeting next week.
After abandoning its original planned test site in North Dakota in the face of public opposition, Battelle is now considering Spink County for the five-year, $35 million project for the Department of Energy. In what Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has described as a science experiment, DOE hopes to gain data on whether 16,000-foot boreholes drilled into crystalline rock formations are appropriate for department-managed nuclear waste.
As was the case in North Dakota, residents in South Dakota have voiced concern that a successful test could lead to eventual storage of nuclear waste in their community, even though Battelle has insisted the project will not involve any waste. The company also has noted that Spink County cannot be considered for nuclear waste disposal because of its proximity to subsurface water. Battelle hosted two public meetings last week to brief residents on the proposal and answer questions. The third public meeting is set for 6 to 9 p.m.May 11 at the Spink County/Redfield 4H building, 38497 174th St. in Redfield.
If and when Battelle comes to terms on lease agreements, it would be in a position to submit a zoning variance request to the Spink County Planning and Zoning Commission. This “special exception” would allow Battelle to drill, as all sites the company is currently exploring are zoned for agriculture use. The zoning application would be jointly filed by Battelle and the land owner. Once the application is submitted, it is followed by a 15-day period of public notice. After that the Spink County Commission, which serves as the zoning board, would schedule a hearing. Battelle also will need a road permit to access county and township roads, as well as state approvals for additional road and drilling permits.
Rod Osborne, energy business line manager for Battelle’s infrastructure and environment business unit, said Wednesday the plan is to break ground on the borehole project this year. Earlier this week company spokesman T.R. Massey said Battelle is considering locations in the Tulare-Redfield area.
Spink County Commissioner Cindy Schultz and other residents have requested that Battelle state in writing that the test will not lead to storage of nuclear waste at the site. Massey said the company will include in its variance request a stipulation that the boreholes will be permanently sealed when the project is completed.
“We feel this will be an additional assurance along with the reasons of why nuclear waste will never be stored in Spink County,” Massey said by email Tuesday. “Public refusal, the proximity of an aquifer, state law, the lack of federal disposal framework and siting on private land are all additional reasons this can never happen.”
Osborne reiterated that the field test is a “science project” and will not involve nuclear waste.
“The state of South Dakota prohibits nuclear waste without additional approval, and the governor has stated that those additional approvals are required by the people of South Dakota,” he said over the phone Wednesday. “We really believe that our test project, other than gathering data for disposal of nuclear waste at a site yet to be determined, is not connected to nuclear waste.”
The Spink County Commission devoted a portion of its regular meeting Tuesday to discuss the project. Schultz said she and her colleagues did not offer opinions, but provided the opportunity for the public to weigh in. All residents who spoke were against the project, she said, adding that it’s normal for opposition to be louder than the supportive or apathetic population. She said the commission will consider any potential application from Battelle.
