A discussion that could drastically change Northwest Colorado’s economic and environmental future accelerated on Tuesday during a Craig City Council work session.

The council hosted a presentation and discussion on the potential and process of beginning community-based conversations regarding the possibility of locating a consolidated interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in Moffat County.

The meeting featured Northwest Colorado Energy Initiative’s Matt Solomon, who facilitated the discussion regarding a collaboration-based siting process that could lead to such a facility being located in Moffat County.

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According to their website, the NCEI operates “under the purview of the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado,” with a mission “to secure a replacement for coal that upholds our standard of living by ensuring energy affordability, job retention and competitive wages.”

The work session was listed on the city calendar as “Questions to Be Asked as We Look at Federal Opportunities to Increase Workforce and Revenue in the Region,” with no mention of nuclear energy in the work session title. 

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However, the conversation focused squarely on the Department of Energy’s collaboration-based siting process, which allows communities to engage in discussions around potentially hosting a interim spent nuclear fuel storage facility.

“The real point of the work session is preliminary discussion,” Solomon said. “So, I can take notes of questions you guys have in preparation for potential community outreach.”

A federal problem with local implications

Solomon presented the challenges of managing spent nuclear fuel generated by U.S. utility companies. He said that Yucca Mountain, in Nevada, has been selected as the nation’s permanent repository for high-level spent nuclear fuel. The location has been politically stalled for years, which has led to utilitiy companies being forced to store spent fuel onsite in dry casks.

Those structures have, according to Solomon, safely held up to hurricanes and other natural disasters without incident.

This storage arrangement, according to Solomon, has left the federal government in breach of contract with utility companies, resulting in roughly $2 million per day in taxpayer-funded penalties.

“That’s a lot of money that we as taxpayers could save if we worked with the government to find a solution,” Solomon said.

Congress has directed the DOE to explore CISFs as an interim solution. 

These above-ground facilities would store spent fuel in secure dry casks until a permanent repository becomes available, or until recycling of the fuel is possible. Solomon emphasized that the material is not high-level defense waste from weapons.

He also said that the DOE has transitioned to using the term “spent nuclear fuel” instead of “nuclear waste.”

Ties to House Bill 1040 and state-level politics

During his presentation, Solomon referenced House Bill 1040, which is a state-level effort to include nuclear in the definition of clean energy in Colorado. 

The bill’s passage by the senate on March 14 prompted backlash from some environmental groups, and there have calls for Governor Polis to veto the legislation.

Maybell identified as potential site

Property in Maybell, which is owned by the DOE and is surrounded by Bureau of Land Management land, was referenced by Solomon as a possible location for a spent nuclear fuel storage facility.

According to a DOE fact sheet, the property is located approximately 5 miles northeast of Maybell.

The fact sheet noted that a uranium processing facility was established by Trace Elements Corporation at the proposed site in 1955. Union Carbide Corporation, now Umetco, assumed control of the facility in 1957, at which time they began a seven year span of uranium milling.

The milling ceased in 1971.

In 1995, the DOE initiated a site clean-up process. As a result mill tailings, structures and contaminated materials were placed in a “disposable cell constructed on-site,” a process which concluded in 1998.

The land’s remote setting and federal ownership, according to Solomon, make it a potential candidate under the DOE’s collaboration-based siting initiative, which prioritizes local and regional buy-in.

“There’s no project targeted today,” he said. “But there’s the potential for projects that could bring economic development opportunities to the region.”

Solomon repeated both points several times throughout the work session.

Recent meetings in Washington, D.C.

Solomon also shared that he and other regional representatives — including Garfield County Commissioners Perry Will and Mike Samson, and Moffat County Commissioner Melody Villard — recently met in Washington, D.C. with Marla Morales, who is the Director of the DOE’s collaboration-based siting office.

“I personally was able to connect with staff from the Department of Energy when I was in Washington D.C. for my wrap-up of my appointment to NACO’s Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities Coalition,” said Villard in an email to the Craig Press. “That DOE connection was informal but a great opportunity to start to get more information about the programs that the department is considering and to network.”

During that meeting, Solomon said that Morales disclosed that there is potential for additional infrastructure beyond a spent fuel facility. 

“At dinner, she’s like, oh, by the way, the first community that stands up, we’re thinking we’re going to add this research and technology center to it,” Solomon said. “That could be a real driver to this process.”

The possibility of pairing the storage facility with a research lab was met with interest from council members.

What is being proposed?

According to Solomon, a proposed facility would be industrial in scale, occupying approximately two square miles. Job positions at the site would include forklift operators, security personnel, safety officers, engineers and other “blue-collar” jobs.

“It would be full-time, my understanding, a couple hundred jobs year-round after construction,” he said.

During the work session, he stated the possibility of up to $100 billion in investment towards regional infrastructure and economic development, including improvements to roads and railways, if a storage facility was paired with a research and technology laboratory

City officials at the work session emphasized the need for a direct revenue stream to local governments. 

Because the DOE does not pay property tax on federal facilities, Solomon mentioned the possibility of alternative forms of compensation, including infrastructure improvements and support of community services. 

Solomon then prompted the city council, and community, to “think big” regarding a potential “wishlist” of benefits from working with the federal government.

“What do you want the benefit to be? No income tax? No property taxes? They pay it for you? Do you want cellular service in Craig throughout that they pay for?” asked Solomon. “What do you want as a benefit from working with the feds?

Mayor Nichols responded by stating a goal in generating an income stream to replace lost revenue from the closure coal-based energy facilities.

“Or better,” he then added.

The DOE will open a national “expression of interest” process in the fall of 2025. This allows communities to engage in public education and outreach efforts regarding spent nuclear fuel storage facilities. Through this work session, Craig has laid the groundwork for potentially participating in that education and public engagement process.

Community concerns and considerations

Council members, city officials and members of the public identified several key factors for exploring this opportunity. New jobs, infrastructure investment and long-term revenue were all brought up as major incentives.

Several times during the meeting, council members noted the need to educate the public in order to overcome misconceptions and fears.

Despite the transition away from the region’s coal-based economy, and the economic and employment opportunities raised by Solomon during the meeting, there was still uncertainty regarding a potential nuclear fuel facility in the area. 

“If you ask me if I support this today, I’m going to tell you, I don’t know,” said Nichols. “I don’t know enough about it.”

In her email, Villard said she also considers herself to be “uneducated” regarding the topic.

“I look forward to more education, doing more research and having more community discussions,” she continued. “I don’t believe we can make informed decisions for the benefit of our community without first becoming informed!”

During the meeting, City Manager Peter Brixius said “you have to break down myths that are associated with nuclear.”

Solomon said there are differences in perceptions regarding nuclear energy between different generations.

“Millennials and younger have a much better grasp and a more open mind when it comes to all phases of the nuclear energy life cycle than, I’ll just say, our collective generations, as a broad stroke,” he said, referencing the members of the work session. “So there is that educational need.”

Concerns were raised by council members about perceived risks throughout the meeting, which led to Solomon explaining the foundations for transportation safety, groundwater protection and emergency services support.

“(DOE has) the training resources to train the paramedics, the firefighters and the police on the what if for safety incidences, for hazmat things, and so forth,” said Solomon. “So, you wouldn’t necessarily need additional personnel. But, what I would note… the feds… do conduct regular safety trainings.”

Governance and approval

The conversation also involved who would have the authority to approve such a facility, how benefits would be negotiated and legal structures that would be required.

Solomon confirmed that it would be a federal facility managed by the DOE and that it would be subject to an agreement with Moffat County. He also emphasized that the siting process would ideally be coupled with a high-level of community engagement.

The conversation continues

In an interview with the Craig Press on March 27, both Mayor Nichols and Councilmember Looper stressed that no decisions, or specific proposals, have been made and that the meeting was solely a conversation about the possibility of spent nuclear fuel storage in the area.

“As (Solomon) stated, there is no particular project right now available or in the pipeline,” said Nichols. “This is to learn more and guage the community for support when and if anything comes about.”

Looper added that “unless Colorado, more than (House Bill 1040), starts embracing nuclear, nothing is going to happen.”

The council tentatively scheduled a second work session for April 8 in order to further explore the possibility of discussions, education and community outreach regarding a potential interim spent nuclear fuel storage facility in Moffat County.

While no decisions have been made and no formal proposal is on the table, Craig’s government leaders are actively engaging in dialogue about the possibility of hosting such a facility.

“To me, it’s a facilitated listening session,” Solomon said. “If we look down the rabbit hole and there’s a snake, not a rabbit, we pull our hand out, we walk away. And, it doesn’t cost us anything but time and education.”

This is a developing story and more information will be added as it is made available.