SWVA Nuclear Watch

05/29/2026

Printed in the Coalfield Progress

05/22/2026

Wise County continues down the nuclear path. Now they are studying the feasibility of nuclear microreactors. More on that later.

Below is a new study that shows the effects of living near nuclear reactors.

Nuclear power plants emit low levels of ionizing radiation, an established risk factor for breast, colon, and lung cancers, yet the long-term effects of chronic environmental exposure in U.S. populations remain unclear. To evaluate s*x- and age-specific associations between proximity to nuclear powe...

05/19/2026

Wise County’s prospects for developing small nuclear power projects will be the subject of two information meetings being held this week.

A Tuesday meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in Mountain Empire Community College’s Goodloe Center, in Big Stone Gap, while a Wednesday session will be at 10 a.m. in Cantrell Hall at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise.

https://cardinalnews.org/2026/05/18/wise-countys-prospects-for-small-nuclear-power-projects-will-be-discussed-during-information-meeting-tuesday-and-wednesday/?fbclid=IwdGRzaAR4vbRjbGNrBHi752V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHqzHxyTrYohnkk6yoIKAktTyPZ5VLIA7aXf1c75lBqDjlVf-b5ubTeENG-Ew_aem_bO_yNn5R5NkeqkG0iNsdxQ&sfnsn=mo

Public information sessions scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday are part of the county’s microreactor feasibility study.

05/14/2026

A powerful statement of people over power! Communities across the country are pushing back to protect their communities! The trade-offs just are not worth it!

In Festus, Missouri, a town of about 14,000 people, the city council quietly approved a $6 billion AI data center to be built on 360 acres just north of Highway 67.

Residents say they were never properly heard. Meetings were held in private. Documents were released too late.

A week after the approval, the town held a regular election.

Voter turnout jumped 129 percent. Every single council member who had voted yes lost in a landslide. A 70-year-old first-time candidate beat an 8-year incumbent by 40 percentage points.

Now a recall petition is circulating to remove the mayor as well. The lawsuit against the city is already filed.

Has your local government ever been held accountable like this?

05/11/2026

Notice:

Wise County, with support from Virginia Department of Energy (VA-DOE) and GO Virginia (GO VA), is launching a structured and transparent stakeholder engagement component as part of the Wise County Microreactor Feasibility Project. The Wise County Microreactor Feasibility Project will look to guide the development of a framework for potential future decisions related to advanced nuclear energy development in Southwest Virginia. This initiative does not represent approval of a specific project, site, or reactor design. Instead, it is focused on identifying and prioritizing the criteria that would be used to evaluate potential future projects for consideration.

As part of the stakeholder engagement for this project, Wise County will be hosting a series of public information sessions to provide additional information related to the project, project deliverables, and to garner input from attendees. Community members are invited to attend one of the following sessions. Please note that the information shared at each session will be the same.

- Session 1 – Tuesday, May 19, 2026 – 6pm – Mountain Empire Community College Goodloe Center
- Session 2 – Wednesday, May 20, 2026 – 10am – UVA-Wise Cantrell Hall

04/30/2026

"It needs washed before you can smelli it, baby. Data Center stinks on it."

Local artist Blade of Grass expresses her feelings after watching the Data Center Community Meeting video.

04/27/2026

Wise County's IDA plans to use natural gas to fuel the 9 data centers it plans for the Elam Farm industrial park on Airport Road.

https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/27/data-center-demand-drives-66-surge-in-natural-gas-power-plant-costs/