$57M disbursement of DOE loan propels restart of Palisades Nuclear Plant

[“Burning Money” graphic by Gene Case/Avenging Angels. The image graced the cover of The Nation magazine in 2003, accompanying an article by Christian Parenti about the George W. Bush/Dick Cheney administration’s attempted nuclear power relapse.]

As reported by Abigail Taylor at News Channel 3 (WWMT) in Kalamazoo, MI on Monday, March 17, 2025.

Beyond Nuclear’s radioactive waste specialist, Kevin Kamps, was interviewed.

Kamps was quoted:

Kevin Kamps, radioactive waste specialist for Beyond Nuclear and vocal opponent of Holtec and the Palisade’s reopening, criticized the restart plan.

“This entire restart scheme is quite fraudulent and abusive of taxpayer money,” Kamps told News Channel 3.

Kamps expressed concerns about the plant’s safety.

“This reactor was a lemon from the start,” he said. “It’s now severely degraded. It’s a jalopy. It’s highly risky to safety, health, security, the environment. It’s insanely expensive for the public. And they’re going to start making more waste again out there, which has nowhere to go.”

Kamps vowed to fight the plant’s reopening.

“We’re going to fight it with everything we have,” he said.

The Detroit Free Press has also reported on this story:

Some nonprofit groups opposed to nuclear energy have sought to intervene before the NRC on the Palisades restart, including Beyond Nuclear, Don’t Waste Michigan, Michigan Safe Energy Future and others. They contend there are “extreme risks to safety, security, health and the environment resulting from the more than 50-year-old atomic reactor’s severe age-related degradation” and question the ability of Holtec, a company historically involved in nuclear plant decommissioning, to operate a nuclear plant.

A previous disbursement of $38 million took place earlier in January 2025, for a total of $95 million thus far, towards the $1.52 billion awarded in late September, 2024. But more than $15 billion of public bailouts could follow, if Holtec gets its way…