Idaho gets waiver to bring in new shipments of spent nuclear fuel

Angela Palermo, The Idaho Statesman on Apr 29, 2025

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BOISE, Idaho — Idaho has struck a deal with the Trump administration to advance nuclear energy research nationwide.

The state and the U.S. Department of Energy agreed to a waiver of a 1995 settlement agreement that established deadlines for removing nuclear waste from the Idaho National Laboratory site while allowing for limited shipments for research and development at the lab, according to a news release.

The waiver enables INL to receive new shipments of spent nuclear fuel, including a high burnout nuclear fuel cask from a commercial nuclear power plant in Virginia, the North Anna Power Station, for research purposes. The shipment could arrive in 2027.

The research is expected to confirm the performance of nuclear fuel during long-term dry storage. That data is needed by over 53 nuclear sites around the country to renew their licenses and continue storing nuclear fuel.

INL is the country’s leading nuclear-energy research laboratory. It employs thousands of workers, including engineers, scientists, support staff and cleanup crews responsible for removing and shipping out of state thousands of tons of radioactive and hazardous waste long buried at its site in eastern Idaho. The site, which covers 890 square miles, is located between Blackfoot, Arco and Idaho Falls.

State leaders say the waiver meets a critical need for national security and energy independence. They also say it will bring in more funding and jobs.

“We are proud to support innovation in nuclear energy that will support national security and energy independence into the future,” Idaho Gov. Brad Little said in Tuesday’s release.

The release said the research will help sustain the current U.S. nuclear reactor fleet, which produces nearly 20% of the nation’s electricity, and reinforce Idaho’s role in the nuclear industry.

The 1995 Settlement Agreement was a historic agreement that resolved a lawsuit filed by the state of Idaho to prevent INL from becoming a national repository for commercial spent nuclear fuel and other waste.

The agreement required the Energy Department to take several actions, including preventing shipments of spent nuclear fuel, treating and removing nuclear waste and transferring spent nuclear fuel from wet storage to dry storage, according to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.

“We look forward to utilizing our unique facilities and expertise to support this critical national need,” INL Director John Wagner said in the release.

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