Rep. Mike Levin Applauds Selection of Potential Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses

Skip to content I Want to Hear from You About Your Health Care Concerns. NEW: Rep. Levin Announces New District Data Map to Showcase Federal Project Funding. Close About Services Federal Project Funding Map Federal Policy Impact Resources Clean Energy Tax Credits Help With A Federal Agency Constituent Success Stories Grants Applicants Commendations and Greetings Tours and Tickets Military Academy Nominations Internships Flags Surplus Books Program Art Competition Constituent of the Month Congressional App Challenge Vietnam War 50th Commemoration Program Member-Designated Transportation Projects Community Project Funding Requests The Congressional Award News Press Releases In The News Op-Eds Contact Email Me Newsletter Subscription Offices Internships Request a Meeting with Rep. Levin Website Problem I Want To Hear From You Español Close Search Site SEARCH About Services Federal Project Funding Map Federal Policy Impact Resources Clean Energy Tax Credits Help With A Federal Agency Constituent Success Stories Grants Applicants Commendations and Greetings Tours and Tickets Military Academy Nominations Internships Flags Surplus Books Program Art Competition Constituent of the Month Congressional App Challenge Vietnam War 50th Commemoration Program Member-Designated Transportation Projects Community Project Funding Requests The Congressional Award News Press Releases In The News Op-Eds Contact Email Me Newsletter Subscription Offices Internships Request a Meeting with Rep. Levin Website Problem I Want To Hear From You MENU Español Search Instagram Icon Twitter Icon Facebook Icon Youtube Icon Bluesky Icon Home News Press Releases July 28, 2026 Rep. Mike Levin Applauds Selection of Potential Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses DOE Selects Five States for Future Nuclear Waste Depository Sites; Initiative Is Supported by $248 Million Secured by Rep. Levin Washington, D.C .—Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) applauded the Department of Energy’s (DOE) announcement of five states to serve as potential sites for Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses. The Innovation Campuses are intended to house solutions for the nation’s nuclear waste challenges by supporting activities across the full nuclear fuel cycle, including fuel fabrication, enrichment, reprocessing used nuclear fuel, and disposal of used nuclear fuel. Five states—Utah, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Idaho—signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with DOE to begin exploring how to officially become host sites for Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses. Once these Innovation Campuses are in full operation as envisioned, they will accept spent nuclear fuel from decommissioned nuclear plants like the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). Watch Rep. Levin’s video on the announcement here. Rep. Levin’s statement on the announcement below: “Today’s announcement of potential sites for Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses has been years in the making. It required tremendous bipartisan efforts where policymakers put aside politics and focused on a fix to our difficult nuclear waste challenges. Since my first day in Congress, I’ve prioritized finding solutions to safely remove and dispose of spent nuclear fuel, and today’s selection of states is a monumental step in the right direction. For years I have said that our actions must be based in collaboration with states and local communities, and for the first time in decades, states are raising their hands. “But there is more work to be done. The hard part is still ahead of us. The federal government has a bad track record on nuclear waste and has not kept its promises to communities for many decades. As we know well, DOE was required by law to start picking up the waste from nuclear power plants like SONGS in 1998, but has fallen woefully behind. DOE must now be consistent, transparent, and honest with states as it completes the selection process for the Innovation Campuses and sets them up for success year after year, and administration after administration. “I cannot underscore strongly enough that the Innovation Campuses must have solutions for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel if we are to be successful in this endeavor. Any development of new nuclear energy hinges on our country having a workable answer to the spent nuclear fuel challenge. “Congress must now work in a bipartisan, bicameral fashion to authorize the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses and write them into law with clear oversight, clear benchmarks, and clear connections to permanent disposal. This will ensure true accountability and real solutions. I will continue to work with the Administration and my congressional colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get this done.” Since entering Congress in 2019, Rep. Levin has secured over $248 million for the safe removal and management of the nation’s spent nuclear fuel. In January 2026, he wrote to DOE Secretary Chris Wright urging the Department to establish a safe, effective, and long-term