Byrdstown officials have formally voiced their opposition to a proposed nuclear waste repository in Pickett County.
Mayor Sam Gibson said the decision follows a recent meeting where local leaders were first informed of a process that had reportedly been underway since April. Gibson said the resolution highlights the potential for impacts on the local tourism economy and property values.
“I’m opposed to it because I know what it could do to this community,” Gibson said. “If I’m in Ohio and I’m getting ready to go on vacation, am I going to a nuclear waste dump or am I going to Florida or Myrtle Beach? I’m gonna go the other direction.”
Resident Karen Hendrix said the Pickett County Commission has already passed a similar measure to establish an official record of opposition. She said a formal stance from the town provides a stronger legal foundation for potential future litigation if the state attempts to force the facility into the region.
“I don’t need to tell everybody here what a gem we have with Dale Hollow,” Hendrix said. “And we make over $12 million a year on tourism revenue. The problems it would cause just by hauling in highly radioactive waste. And I think they look at us and say, ‘Oh, there’s just not many people there. We won’t get a whole lot of friction.’ And I it’s a big deal to… Even though 50 billion sounds like a lot, it, that’ll be gone well before this nuclear waste repository, which is meant to be there for thousands and thousands, like hundreds of thousands of years. And I want no part of that.”
Gibson said the town should seek a united front with mayors from Fentress, Clay, Morgan, and Scott counties to ensure the region is excluded from storage plans. Gibson said while some neighboring areas might be considering the potential economic benefits, the risk to Dale Hollow Lake remains the primary concern for Byrdstown.
Gibson said the lack of transparency from state officials has been a major point of frustration for local executives.
“They brought us there to kind of, I don’t know if you’d say shove it down our throat or hope that we would chew it up and swallow it and like it or what,” Gibson said. “But it’s without us knowing anything about it.”
