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The Metro: Do the pros outweigh the cons with nuclear energy?

✇WDET 101.9 FM
By: Sam Corey
13 August 2025 at 16:16

The Palisades nuclear plant in Covert Township got one step closer to reopening after federal regulators allowed the plant’s owners to load fuel into the facility. Some reporting suggests that Holtec International plans to reopen the reactor by October.  

That move is part of a larger trend. 

In recent years, there’s been a lot more political energy behind opening nuclear reactors. During his time as president, Joe Biden unveiled a plan to ramp up America’s nuclear energy capacity. When he got into office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order with the goal of quadrupling nuclear power in 25 years. 

Many climate change defenders are divided on these decisions. That’s because nuclear energy could provide a ton of clean energy for Americans, but it also has the capacity to kill people and contaminate the earth. That’s why environmentalists have generally stood against the nuclear energy comeback. 

In order to assess nuclear energy in terms of risk and reward, journalist, editor, producer, and co-founder of Foxtopus Inc Laura Krantz joined the show.

She produced the 2022 podcast, “Wild Thing: Going Nuclear,” where she explored the possibilities and drawbacks of nuclear energy. Krantz spoke with Robyn Vincent about why she thinks nuclear energy is important — and what concerns her about nuclear reactors.

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The post The Metro: Do the pros outweigh the cons with nuclear energy? appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

Detroit Evening Report: EPA cuts funding for energy accessibility program

✇WDET 101.9 FM
By: Sascha Raiyn
12 August 2025 at 22:30

In this episode of The Detroit Evening Report, we cover the latest in federal funding cuts, a bill that would expand support for new mothers and more.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

EPA cuts funding for energy accessibility program

Michigan’s Solar for All program has lost its funding. It provided grants to organizations working to make solar power accessible to low-income residents across the state so they might lower energy costs and improve environmental impacts.

The state-funded residential and community solar programs used federal funds from the Environmental Protection Agency. Director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, Phil Roos, announced today the EPA has canceled that funding.

Roos says the programs were set to save thousands of Michigan families an average of $400 a year in energy costs, and create 700 jobs. He says EGLE is working with the state Attorney General’s office to determine next steps.

The state had already awarded grants to Hope Village to provide 10 homes in Detroit and Highland Park with rooftop solar, to the Intertribal Council of Michigan for solar projects for a dozen homes and a community building, and to the North End Woodward Community Coalition for a “solar neighborhoods” initiative. EGLE has awarded almost $14 million of the $156 million in federal funding it was promised.

Lansing considers expanding maternal support program

State legislators today considered a bill to expand a program that supports pregnant and new mothers. RX Kids gives pregnant women $1,500 before they give birth, and $500 a month for the baby’s first six months. It started in Flint and spread to Pontiac and the eastern Upper Peninsula.

Program director Dr. Mona Hanna says the program is designed to run efficiently with few overhead costs, and to be easily scaled and replicated for communities across the state.

New DCFC stadium name announced

The Detroit City Football Club has revealed the name of its new stadium in southwest Detroit. AlumniFi Field will seat 15,000 people when it’s finished. AlumniFi Credit Union is the team’s financial partner. The stadium is set to open in 2027.

Disability dance event comes to DIA

Danceability is returning to the Detroit Institute of Arts this week. The event is free and provides a space for all bodies to enjoy dance in community. Organizers are inviting the whole community to attend this “afternoon of disability joy” Thursday from 1–4 p.m. in in the DIA’s Great Hall. Attendees are invited to wear shades of blue to “embody the sea and sky.” Cellist and composer King Sophia will provide the music. Cara Graninger will facilitate. For more information and to register, visit detroitdisabilitypower.org/danceability.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Support local journalism.

WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.

The post Detroit Evening Report: EPA cuts funding for energy accessibility program appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

NRC close to decision on Palisades re-opening, environmental coalition vows to fight

✇WDET 101.9 FM
By: Colin Jackson
22 July 2025 at 14:59

The owner of a shut-down nuclear power plant in southwest Michigan could try to bring it back online by the end of the year.

To make that happen, the company, Holtec International, will need federal regulators to approve a license that would allow it to change the status of the Palisades nuclear plant from decommissioning to operational. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it plans to decide what to do with that request this week.

Nick Culp is a senior manager of governmental affairs and communications at Holtec, which bought the plant as it entered the decommissioning phase.

“There’s a difference in oversight that comes with that, but also importantly, we can then receive new fuel for the site. We’d also be able to start turning some plant systems and equipment back over into an operational setting,” Culp said.

With the decision, Holtec would still need to get through more steps to actually get its status updated. The company predicts it could meet those new requirements by August 25.

Aside from that, however, Holtec would need the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to sign off on three requests from the company to change its license. One of those involves the use of steam generator tube sleeving.

Culp compared that to putting a tube within a tube to add an extra layer of safety. He said Holtec started the sleeve repairs early in the process, with the knowledge of the NRC.

That concerns Beyond Nuclear, an environmental coalition opposing the restart of the plant, which had stopped running in 2022. Beyond Nuclear is working to block the sleeving work using the federal regulatory process.

Kevin Kamps, a radioactive waste specialist with the group, said doing the repairs early could give Holtec an advantage before the NRC.

“The thinking being that, well, if it’s a problem, then the NRC will call them on it and not allow them to proceed to actually restart. Well, the experience of decades shows that the NRC, once the work is done, the facts are on the ground, they’re not going to reverse the company, no matter how extreme those risks are,” Kamps said.

Kamps called the sleeving “Band-Aid fixes” to get around replacing the actual steam generators themselves, something that could get expensive. He said Beyond Nuclear plans to take the matter to court if the coalition doesn’t succeed at stopping NRC approval for the sleeving.

The NRC said it has been following “established rules,” and that it expects to finish reviewing the request by September 30. The agency confirmed it has “been observing and independently assessing Holtec’s activities related to steam generator repairs.”

Last week, Beyond Nuclear received a copy of a routine restart inspection report from NRC regulators that referenced the sleeving repairs. Monday morning, Beyond Nuclear issued a scathing press release decrying the NRC’s knowledge that the repairs were going on while the licensing process was still playing out.

“We’re taking part in the NRC’s licensing proceeding in good faith. But the NRC’s good faith is very much in question. And certainly, Holtec’s as well,” Kamps said.

But, like the NRC, Culp said Holtec has been doing everything by the book and reiterated anything would still need the agency to sign off before the plant becomes operational again.

“To suggest that we’re outside of that I think is a very misguided interpretation of how the regulatory process works,” Culp said.

If Holtec succeeds, Palisades would be the first nuclear plant in the country to start back up after ending operations for decommissioning. It’s received hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal and state governments to support the restart efforts.

The post NRC close to decision on Palisades re-opening, environmental coalition vows to fight appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

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