Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
4/11/2014
A group of Mississippi state lawmakers proposed a resolution last week that would voice the state’s opposition to potentially hosting a high-level radioactive waste site. The proposed resolution, introduced by four Republican Representatives from southern Mississippi, followed a separate attempt by the state’s Public Service Commission to pass a similar resolution against hosting high-level waste last week. “Whereas, this resolution reaffirms the unbroken thirty-two year policy of the State of Mississippi that declares our unalterable opposition to the siting of a radioactive waste repository in our state,” the resolution bill says. “Now, therefore, be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the state of Mississippi, the Senate concurring therein, that we do hereby remain unalterably opposed to the storage of high-level nuclear waste in this state and the use of our air, land and seagoing transportation facilities for the transportation of high-level radioactive waste.” The bill was sent to the House Rules Committee for further consideration.
Much of the motivation for the resolution stemmed from a potential negative perception to the area for potential tourists if the state were to bring in nuclear waste, according to one of the co-sponsors of the resolution. “What I am really concerned with is more about the geological storage of nuclear waste,” Rep. Scott DeLano told RW Monitor. “Honestly, I support the governor’s position of doing studies on what can be done or what opportunities are available for the re-purposing of nuclear rods, but that’s a completely different conversation than geologic storage of nuclear waste.” DeLano added, “Where this really becomes an issue for my constituents in Southern Mississippi is that our economy is driven by 40 percent through tourism-related activities, and we think that if Mississippi goes forward with some kind of geologic storage of nuclear waste just north of the coast in some of the salt domes that that would have a negative connotation to Mississippi and a detriment to our economy.”
Mississippi has been considering whether or not it wants to host a potential interim storage facility, as laid out in the Department of Energy’s nuclear waste strategy. Representatives from the Mississippi Energy Institute last year made a pitch to the state Senate’s Senate Economic Development Committee on the potential benefits of locating an interim spent nuclear fuel storage site. In a white paper presented to the committee, the MEI highlighted the state’s “unique” geological salt domes as a possible safe location for storage. “The demonstrated failure of the Federal government over three decades requires a thorough re-assessment of our approach to used nuclear fuel management, and provides an opportunity for the State of Mississippi to structure a consent-based host agreement that delivers significant economic development, employment, and energy security benefits,” the white paper said. MEI declined to comment this week on the resolution.