FORT SMITH, Ark. — City leaders in Fort Smith are voicing their concerns following a community forum Monday, during which the potential of a nuclear waste facility coming to the city was discussed.
5NEWS was at the community forum, hosted by Arkansas Nuclear Voice, on Monday night.
Arkansas Nuclear Voice, according to their website, is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded group. They added that they are one of 12 groups selected by DOE to “conduct research on siting an interim spent nuclear fuel storage facility.”
Their website says that the DOE is looking to consolidate “all U.S.-based spent nuclear fuel at one or more federal interim storage facilities until a permanent disposal solution is found.”
“We want to raise awareness that this is a choice people are going to have the opportunity to make,” Arkansas Nuclear Voice Program Coordinator Worth Wilsey said on Monday before the community meeting. “And then also provide the community with a baseline level of education so they can do their own research and develop a position for themselves.”
Wilsey said Fort Smith is one of 25 potential locations across the country.
As part of their consent-based approach, the group said the choice of whether to site a storage facility locally is up to the people.
"I do not want a not want a nuclear waste facility in the City of Fort Smith,” City Director Neal Martin said at a Fort Smith Board of Directors Meeting on Tuesday night.
Martin made those comments after directors finished their final item on the agenda.
According to Martin, the board of directors received an email sometime over the summer from Arkansas Nuclear Voice, talking about Fort Smith being looked at as a potential site.
"From a security perspective, we have the F-35 mission and want to protect our city from foreign adversaries that might want to do us harm,” Martin said. “As it specifically relates to the F-35, well, we've got this potential nuclear waste sitting on site and what the damage that that could cause.”
Martin also shared that there may be health detriments as a result of having a nuclear waste facility near Fort Smith as well.
“We have also received many calls and emails about this,” Public Relations Manager for Fort Smith Josh Buchfink said. “And it seems like the overwhelming majority are adamantly opposed to this type of facility coming into Fort Smith.”
On Dec. 18, two days after the forum, the City of Fort Smith posted the following statement on Facebook:
"Addressing recent concerns, the City of Fort Smith has not agreed to any plans, nor do we intend to agree to any plans, for a nuclear waste site within our city. We remain committed to prioritizing the safety and well-being of our community and ensuring that any future developments align with these values."
In response to learning about the conversations surrounding a potential nuclear waste site coming to Fort Smith, Martin said he is calling on the board to take a stance.
At the end of Tuesday’s board of directors meeting, Martin said he asked for the board to vote on this specific issue at the next voting meeting.
"I did offer a resolution to the board that we're going to take up in our next voting meeting,” Martin said. “It's a resolution, so it's non-binding, but basically saying that we do not want a nuclear waste storage facility or site in the City of Fort Smith.”
Martin added that he hopes the resolution gives a good indication to Arkansas Nuclear Voice that maybe there are other options for a site like this to go outside of Fort Smith.
Martin also shared concerns about how much weight a resolution such as this would have on the decision making of a nuclear site in the long run.
“We're going to do everything we can to prevent it from coming here,” Martin said. “We are going to work hard at opposing this… but is there something that the federal government can do that we don't have any say over? That is a massive concern for a lot of people, and that's something I think this group needs to answer.”
On Dec. 17, 5NEWS reached out to Arkansas Nuclear Voice for further comment, and they said they do not have a statement at this time.
Congressman Steve Womack's office said, "Congressman Womack’s office is aware and monitoring the situation."
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