Mississippi's Public Service Commission has unanimously passed a resolution opposing spent fuel storage in the state after discussions emerged last year about the potential benefits of building an interim waste site. As an alternative to the abandoned Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada, the Obama administration favors a so-called consent-based approach to centralizing spent fuel from commercial nuclear plants at one or more interim facilities. Groups in southern New Mexico and Texas are still exploring the idea, while an influential panel in South Carolina declined to support it. A year ago, the Mississippi Energy Institute published a white paper that estimated an interim site could bring $500 million to the state, along with the potential for investment in a fuel recycling facility and possibly long-term storage in salt formations.The idea provoked significant opposition among some Mississippi legislators. On Tuesday, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger even quoted the head of the MEI as saying he was not aware of any plans for permanent storage in the state and that he did not feel it was worth considering. The PSC has also erased any hope of widespread political backing for waste storage in Mississippi after forwarding the resolution opposing the concept to the White House.
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