On Sept. 21, the East Feliciana Parish Police Jury voted to support development of a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus. A federal government project, this nuclear “campus” will enrich radioactive uranium, fabricate nuclear fuel, reprocess nuclear waste and dispose of nuclear waste.
Already, plans for massive industrial projects have hit two communities hard: SpaceX in Pecan Island and Meta in Richland Parish. These communities were not consulted or prepared.
The feds are rushing to select a “campus” site in East Feliciana, West Feliciana, St. Charles Parish or Port Fourchon by Dec. 15. In this haste, our local officials have shared talking points but answered few questions.
About 25,000 jobs are touted. However, Gov. Jeff Landry’s office admits state limitations that include “underfunded nuclear engineering programs,” an “absence of training programs for nuclear fields” and “limited nuclear construction” experience. Sounds like jobs for out-of-state workers. Billions in investment and millions in property taxes are promised, but the governor’s office advertises an “array of state-level grants, tax credits, programs and incentives” to NLIC developers.
commits to reprocessing tons of nuclear waste when very little has been successfully converted at this point. Oversight and funding? Many federal nuclear safety positions were eliminated in the past two years. makes promises others will have to pay for, says U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, a Republican from Ohio.
Can we trust unknown private investors with long-term responsibility for nuclear waste? The feds say ideal sites for the campus must share responsibility and risks for the finances, fuel-cycle, long-term waste management and proliferation risks. That’s a lot for a rural parish with poorly informed officials and an overtaxed budget to pull off.
ALISON LIGON
Clinton