NRC holds public meeting on environmental review of Palisades Nuclear Plant

Palisades Nuclear Power Plant could become the first plant in the nation to restart; however, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) says several steps need to be completed before this can happen.

During a media availability session, Mary Richmond, NRC environmental project manager, explained that the analysis and gathering of information required for the restart will take time.

The NRC is currently in the early stages of the review process, which is expected to take around a year. The goal is to issue a draft report in early 2025 and have a complete report by mid-2025.

“We perform a comprehensive environmental review of the areas that are important for us to evaluate as we move forward. Some of the examples are groundwater, surface water, air quality, land use," Daniel Barnhurst, NRC environmental branch chief, said.

During a public meeting held recently, community members had the opportunity to ask questions and provide input on the environmental review.

Alan Blind expressed concerns about the process. He told FOX 17 before the meeting began, "The NRC needs to take a step back and go through rule making to build what are the rules for doing such a restart."

Blind has also started a petition to call for the NRC to make new rules that will protect residents from any risks that may come from restarting the plant.

On the other hand, some community members showed their support. They emphasized the importance of opting for "clean options" over carbon emissions.

Palisades Nuclear Power Plant operated for 55 years before shutting down in May 2022. Holtec acquired ownership of the plant a month later.

"We provide 100 megawatts of carbon-free energy. So that's not only essential to our state's clean climate goals, that's the equivalent of taking 900,000 vehicles off the road," said Nick Culp, government affairs representative for Holtec Palisade.

If Palisades receives the necessary approvals, Culp says the restart could bring hundreds of jobs to southwest Michigan.

For those who missed the public meeting, comments can be emailed to PalisadesRestartEnvironmental@nrc.gov or send them here .

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