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In the NoCo

Why the nation’s nuclear waste may eventually be headed to northwest Colorado

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Workers pose with a new train car designed to carry highly-radioactive nuclear waste from power plants around the country. An economic development group in northwest Colorado is entertaining the idea of pursuing a storage facility for the waste.
Courtesy U.S. Department of Energy
Workers pose with a new train car designed to carry highly-radioactive nuclear waste from power plants around the country. An economic development group in northwest Colorado is entertaining the idea of pursuing a storage facility for the waste.

Nuclear waste is piling up at power plants around the country, and we have no idea where to put it. Many states are aggressively fighting plans for new storage facilities.

But northwest Colorado is quietly opening the door.

KUNC’s investigative reporter Scott Franz recently traveled around rural Colorado talking with people about what nuclear waste storage could do for the local economy – and also interviewing folks who are dead set against that idea.

On this special edition of In The NoCo, we’ve combined all of Scott’s reporting from the past few months into a single episode. You can also see photos and check out more on this investigation.

Scott’s reporting was edited by Leigh Patterson.

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
Scott Franz is an Investigative Reporter with KUNC.
As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.
Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS °µºÚ±¬ÁÏhour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.