6

Host Community Perspectives

Building trust around new nuclear energy projects and aligning consent across multiple scales of community are key for success, particularly since nuclear energy technologies built over the next decades may be smaller, have many potential use cases, and may be sited in much greater proximity to communities. Host communities must be engaged early and often by project developers and state policymakers to ensure they are informed of and can communicate clearly on safety, security risks, and long-term socioeconomic, environmental, and aesthetic impacts. Kara Colton, Kaco Group, LLC, moderated a panel discussion examining how existing host communities support advanced nuclear projects and work with state, Tribal, and regional partners to drive alignment, address risks, and ensure shared benefits for all parties.

Introducing the session, Colton described how the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) advocates for the interests of communities and local governments hosting or closing nuclear sites, focusing on what technologies are available, what communities need to know to make informed decisions, the resources available to them, and paths to overcome challenges. As an example, the ECA’s New Nuclear Initiative is a platform where utilities, developers, communities, and other stakeholders can share information and collaborate on needs.¹ Colton emphasized that communities have valuable knowledge and experiences to share with

___________________

¹ See Energy Communities Alliance, “The Role for Local Governments in Support of New Nuclear Development,” https://www.energyca.org/new-nuclear, accessed April 14, 2025.

those considering building new sites or transitioning older ones. “They know what it’s like to have waste in your backyard; they know what it’s like to have transportation of nuclear materials coming back and forth from their community; they know what it’s like to have preconceived notions about being a nuclear community,” she said.

The panelists were Tracy Boatner, East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC); Jesus Núñez, Nuclear Alternative Project; Diahann Howard, Port of Benton; Christi Bell, University of Alaska; and Richard Arnold, Consolidated Group of Tribes and Organizations.

OPENING REMARKS

In opening remarks, Boatner described how ETEC supports federal energy projects to benefit the region. She noted that East Tennessee communities are more open to nuclear projects due to the state’s legacy of nuclear innovation and energy production, for example, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. ETEC convenes weekly stakeholder meetings and hosts an annual Nuclear Opportunities Workshop to drive collaboration and grow the regional economy. For example, Kairos Power is building a nuclear demonstration reactor in Oak Ridge, one of several new projects ETEC supports.

Núñez outlined how the Nuclear Alternative Project advocates for new nuclear projects to strengthen and modernize Puerto Rico, improve the island’s economy, and improve U.S. national security.^2,3,4 The organization places a large emphasis on community engagement initiatives to raise the profile of nuclear energy and increase acceptance among energy companies and the public.

Howard provided context on clean energy efforts in the Port of Benton, part of the Tri-Cities area of Washington State near the DOE Hanford site. The community is a member of the ECA and is courting the clean energy and manufacturing industry in many ways, including through its vision for an advanced clean energy, manufacturing, and industrial hub called the Northwest Advanced Clean Energy Park.

Bell described her work helping Alaskan communities, many of which are rural, remote, and Indigenous, thrive by facilitating collaborations

___________________

² Nuclear Alternative Project, 2024, “Advanced Small Nuclear in Puerto Rico Economic Study,” February 5, https://www.nuclearalternativeproject.org/single-project.

³ V. Ibarra, Jr., and M. Casper, 2021, “Advanced Reactors for State Policymakers, in Brief,” Nuclear Innovation Alliance, October.

⁴ Nuclear Alternative Project, 2020, “Preliminary Feasibility Study for Small Modular Reactors and Microreactors for Puerto Rico,” May 11, https://c70e8cf9-e47c-4b0a-9da6-222b08a3b87d.usrfiles.com/ugd/c70e8c_d2dc61982a514e439799e8ccbbe577e6.pdf.

with industry, local and federal governments, non-governmental organizations, and universities. She stressed that community improvements depend on addressing energy and workforce challenges. Collaborative initiatives to advance nuclear projects have the potential to accomplish both and also drive innovation, economic opportunity, and community engagement, enabling communities to take an active role in shaping their energy future.

Arnold said that he has been surrounded by nuclear projects, testing sites, and waste storage issues all his life. As a community representative, he advocated for Tribal communities during the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository discussions, a challenging topic to understand and explain to community members. He emphasized the importance of doing “science with a conscience,” expanding conversations, enabling authentic collaboration, and supporting inclusive community engagement to help inform the public.

PANEL DISCUSSION

Strategies for Community Engagement

Creating mutual trust between outside developers and community members is vital for keeping communities fully informed and addressing their needs and priorities. Colton asked panelists to comment on strategies for connecting communities that are ready for nuclear projects with developers to build that trust, champion projects, and keep the momentum going.

Núñez emphasized that it is critical to fully involve the whole community—residents, industry, politicians, university representatives, and other decision makers—to facilitate conversations, dispel myths, and share information. His experience in Puerto Rico has shown how community engagement can improve understanding of how nuclear energy can deliver reliable power, a key priority for the island’s residents. While the government appears reluctant to pursue nuclear projects, progress has been made; for example, a local university has added nuclear energy coursework. He said that demonstrating and raising awareness of the benefits of nuclear energy will be key to making further progress, and being transparent about costs and risks is equally as important. He noted that each community may have a unique set of questions and concerns; for example, since they live on an island, Puerto Rico’s residents may have particular concerns about exclusion zones.

Bell described how her collaborations with Alaska’s Indigenous communities have demonstrated the importance of integrating new projects within existing infrastructure, local economies, and local values. A recent

collaboration focused on nuclear energy in Alaska, sponsored by the governor’s office, included community members and universities, but the conversations thus far have been theoretical, as there are no projects planned. She noted that a downside of this is that residents’ questions—such as how much it would cost, where the waste would go, and what jobs will be available—do not have satisfying answers, a situation that can fuel skepticism and potentially lead to resistance to future projects.

Howard emphasized that effective collaboration is essential to overcoming barriers and making it possible for new nuclear facilities to come into place and fuel local economies, meet energy demands, and support national security. She shared that industry, government, and community partners have been establishing channels of engagement much earlier in the process for the Northwest Advanced Clean Energy Park than was seen in previous efforts; for example, an Intertribal Advisory Board was established to make this engagement more inclusive and foster relationship-building even before a formal community consultation process begins. However, it is important to recognize that nuclear energy projects still face significant headwinds, and success is not guaranteed. While energy demands are increasing rapidly as hyperscalers ramp up in Washington state and elsewhere, many facets have to align for nuclear energy to effectively fill that need: the supply chains need to be fully in place, the workforce must be ready to fill positions, transmission infrastructure has to be ready to transmit the power, and the regulatory requirements have to be met.

Robert Hershey, an engineering and management consultant, asked about the feasibility of conducting community engagement via online channels. Núñez replied that his organization takes advantage of every means possible to reach the most people, including in-person meetings, archived webinars, and social media. For example, he said that TikTok can be a good tool for sharing information quickly and concisely. Boatner added that ETEC meetings are hybrid—in person and virtual as needed—but still result in collaborative conversations. Bell said she also hosts hybrid meetings when possible, but for communities with poor Internet service, in-person meetings are essential. Howard stated that because her organization has partnerships in remote locations, hybrid meetings are a necessity, and meetings are also recorded for future access. She added that the organization works to make the content relatable, especially when working with students.

Recognizing Community History and Values

Arnold emphasized the importance of community consent in siting projects. Nuclear energy projects are incredibly complex and impactful to

local communities, for better or for worse, and residents deserve to have their questions answered. He recognized that it can be challenging to negotiate with multiple Tribal governments, and successful engagement requires being inclusive and understanding how past harms have made Tribes hesitant to work with the government or industry. A necessary precursor to collaboration and relationship-building is continual and honest communication, which is composed of fair and responsible conversations to share information, channel collective wisdom, and seek community approval. That type of communication is essential to create the trusted, community-wide relationships that are needed to move a siting process forward. Arnold also added that it is important to think broadly about the full impact of a site, including not only the direct project area but the roads or lands that will be used to transport construction materials, people, and waste. He stressed that Tribes must have a voice in whatever happens on their land, including historic homelands they were forced from generations ago.

Building on Arnold’s points, Bell said that some communities may be reluctant to embrace new projects if past harms are not acknowledged and community concerns are not addressed in an authentic and meaningful way. For a striking example of what that past looked like, she pointed to The Firecracker Boys,⁵ an account of a plan to detonate nuclear bombs on Alaska’s coastline that was blocked by local community activists. She added that it is also important to understand where communities are coming from economically, noting that some families in the communities she works with spend 70 percent of their household income on power and heat for their homes. Residents are concerned about sustainability and resiliency, but oil, diesel fuel, and gas are still important drivers of Alaska’s economy. The region also has many different communities with different priorities that are not always aligned, and some communities are struggling to balance traditional values, economic needs, and decarbonization goals. To gain their trust on nuclear projects will take time, active listening, and purposeful efforts to learn their history and address their priorities, she said.

Fostering Alignment

Several panelists raised the importance of alignment among community stakeholders. Boatner described how ETEC creates advisory groups with a mix of stakeholders. Their ongoing collaborations and environment of shared learning, especially among the economic and community development entities focused on community alignment, were instrumental in

___________________

⁵ D.T. O’Neill, 1994, The Firecracker Boys, St. Martin’s Press.

creating the Oak Ridge Corridor Development Corporation to recruit new nuclear projects to the area. Colton agreed that community alignment is as critical as collaboration and integration. Howard, whose community is moving from a focus on legacy nuclear cleanup to initiating new nuclear projects, added that shared wins and opportunities create alignment, and these efforts need to be built on relationships, collaboration, and a shared vision. For example, the 2009 Mid-Columbia Energy Initiative, a stakeholder collaboration, created the alignment needed to support new nuclear projects. The community’s shared vision created momentum by forcing companies to answer hard questions and identify opportunities, although Howard said it was initially challenging to break down the silos stakeholders operate within and create true collaboration.

Boatner reiterated that open, consistent, clear, and respectful conversations over a period of time are the only way to build the trusted partnerships that lead to successful new energy projects. She noted that involvement from technology companies can help to accelerate projects; for example, a partnership between Kairos Power and Google and another partnership between TRISO-X and Amazon in Oak Ridge have been successful in moving projects from planning to construction. Tennessee’s examples have also demonstrated how engaging with the community early and often, before any agreements are signed, and continuing to do so throughout the process can help build trust and bring a project to fruition.

Howard added that it takes work to forge these relationships and ensure that representatives from every stakeholder group are included and engaged in the discussions, have the opportunity to contribute to the workforce, and will have their energy needs met. This type of intensive collaboration can also shift the current nuclear paradigm, enabling industry and researchers to work together on solutions and accelerate commercialization and deployment. “We have a historic opportunity right now to step up, serve our nation one more time and do this in a better way than we’ve done it in the past,” Howard said. “We have an opportunity to be a better model for the future.”

The Role of Vendors in Community Engagement

Richard Cupitt, Department of State and Henry L. Stimson Center, asked panelists to comment on the role of vendors in community engagement. Colton replied that vendors are increasingly recognizing the importance of being an engaged partner in these projects. Even with so many unanswered questions—what are the water and energy needs, where will waste go, what happens after decommissioning—building relationships with vendors will lead to stronger partnerships with communities.

Núñez stated that his organization engages with vendors by learning about their technology and sharing with the community how it will impact Puerto Rico. Boatner noted that ETEC engages with vendors through weekly and monthly meetings. Bell added that vendors must be willing to share knowledge, learn from communities, and understand that places like Puerto Rico and Alaska have unique environments and challenges that require unique solutions.

Howard said that she considers vendors to be stakeholders and includes them in annual meetings, hosts individual meetings with them, and has built productive, knowledge-sharing relationships that in some cases goes back decades. She said it is important to nurture these relationships so that vendors can be well positioned to understand and address challenges that arise.

Workforce Needs

The discussion also touched on workforce training needs and the potential pathways through which nuclear projects can support residents’ interests in terms of employment and community revitalization. Bell stated that land grant universities, present in all 50 states, have economic development goals for basic and applied research, including in advanced nuclear, that employ and engage community members. In addition, short courses or local training programs at job centers can produce the needed technicians and tradespeople, who she noted are more in demand around nuclear sites than engineers with advanced degrees.

Boatner agreed that the industry’s biggest workforce need is for tradespeople. She works with K–12 educators, community college administrators, and technical college administrators to create awareness of the need for a larger nuclear workforce to fill future gaps as nuclear projects ramp up. Howard also agreed, noting that collaborations between industry stakeholders and educators to connect interested students with opportunities in trades education and apprenticeships can be instrumental in generating a workforce that can move from plant construction to day-to-day operations. Núñez also highlighted the importance of retraining workers, especially those who work at plants that are being retired. Colton added that worker housing is also an important community need.