Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) signed legislation Wednesday ending a decades-old barrier to building new nuclear power plants as the state grapples with rising energy demand and costs.
The new law alters the state’s permitting process, removing what had functioned as a de facto moratorium on new nuclear facilities by updating requirements around radioactive waste storage.
Previously, state rules effectively blocked new construction by requiring a federally approved long-term waste disposal solution, but there are no facilities to dispose of high-level waste in the United States. Additionally, New Jersey’s environmental protection department required facilities to identify safe methods of waste disposal, creating a de facto moratorium.
Under the revised framework, regulators can now approve permits if the state’s Department of Environmental Protection finds that a project’s method for storage and disposal of radioactive waste is safe.
Sherrill signed the new legislation while visiting Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station in southern New Jersey.
“For too long, outdated laws have kept us from even considering new nuclear facilities,” Sherrill said. “One law required any new projects to point to a method of disposal that quite literally does not exist. It was written in the 1970s tied to a technological requirement that made sense then, but not today.”
Sherrill, who took office in January, has prioritized expanding in-state energy generation amid mounting concerns over electricity prices. On her first day as governor, she declared a state of emergency on utility costs and called for increasing power supply, including long-term investments in nuclear energy.
The legislation also comes with the creation of a state nuclear task force charged with studying financing, workforce development, supply chains, and regulatory issues.
“This is all just a first step, but by doing these two things in parallel, cutting 50-year-old red tape and recruiting experts to ensure we’re only moving forward in a safe, measured way,” the governor said.
NUCLEAR ENERGY REVIVAL FUELED BY GROWING EMBRACE BY THE LEFT
For years, nuclear power faced opposition from environmental groups and policymakers concerned about safety, cost overruns, and radioactive waste. But some Democrats have increasingly embraced the technology as a necessary complement to renewable energy, particularly as electrification and data center growth drive higher power needs.
Still, challenges remain. Building new nuclear power plants is expensive and time-consuming, and no new large-scale sector has been completed in the U.S. in decades without significant delays and cost increases. New Jersey already has two nuclear power plants that account for 40% of in-state power generation.
