At least six communities in Oklahoma have told state officials they want to be a host of proposed nuclear power campuses as part of the Trump administration’s recent selection of Oklahoma as one of five finalist states competing for a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus.
In one of his last acts as Oklahoma Energy Secretary, Jeff Starling made the revelation this week during a media briefing, but he did not identify the six communities.
“This needs to be an effort that is locality-led, “he stated.
“We are approaching this a different way from what data centers have—we’ve learned from their mistakes,” he added, referring to growth opposition to data centers in different cities and communities across the state.
Starling said the six communities submitted their interests after a state meeting was held with about 100 leaders following the July announcement of Oklahoma’s selection by the U.S. Energy Department. He also explained that the effort by the half-dozen communities will be passed along to the Energy Department in the next two weeks.
The Oklahoman reported the Energy Secretary also made it clear that nuclear experts would likely be the ones to release any identity of a community.
“The public trusts scientists more than they do elected politicians,” he added. “Folks that have a real, deep understanding of this solution are the people that are providing the information to the communities that they need to get comfortable with this.”
