Supreme Court Hears Case on Texas Nuclear Waste Storage Facility

The case examines whether federal law permits licensing private, temporary storage of nuclear waste in Texas' Permian Basin.

The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing a dispute over a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license for a temporary nuclear waste storage site in West Texas.
Texas and Fasken Land and Minerals argue the NRC exceeded its authority, citing federal law that prioritizes onsite or federally managed storage until a permanent repository is established.
The proposed facility, owned by Interim Storage Partners, would store up to 40,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel above the Permian Basin, a key oil and gas region.
Opponents, including Texas officials, warn the site could become a de facto permanent solution, as efforts to create a federal repository, such as Yucca Mountain, have stalled for decades.
A decision, expected by June, could determine the future of nuclear waste management and impact the expansion of nuclear energy in the U.S.