Three environmental groups are suing the federal government to try to block the restart of the Palisades Nuclear Plant in southwest Michigan.
Palisades stopped operating in 2022. This summer, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted an exemption that will allow it to resume power operations. That’s something that’s never happened before.
Kevin Kamps of the group Beyond Nuclear argued the exemption violated federal law.
“Restarting closed reactors is unprecedented,” said Kamps. “Although Holtec is darn close to setting the precedent and it’s a very dangerous precedent given how they’ve gone about it.”
Beyond Nuclear, Don’t Waste Michigan, and Michigan Safe Energy Future filed the lawsuit in federal court for the Western District of Michigan.
They argue federal law prohibits a nuclear plant to resume operations once its gone into decommissioning, which Palisades had.
The NRC granted Palisades’ owner, Holtec International, an exemption from that law in a decision this summer.
The NRC said the exemption is permitted, if, among other things, it would not cause “undue risk to public health and safety.” It concluded that allowing Palisades to re-open under its previous licensing status would not create that risk.
A spokesperson for the NRC did not immediately return a call requesting comment.
A spokesperson for Holtec defended the process in an email to Michigan Public.
"The NRC’s approval to reauthorize power operations at Palisades followed a rigorous, independent review within the agency's existing regulatory framework," wrote Holtec spokesperson Nick Culp. "As we move toward the plant's historic restart, our top priority is ensuring the plant is prepared to return to long-term safe and reliable generation."
