nuclear-news

Mile High City sparks fury over plan for one of America’s busiest airports

Daily Mail, By ALYSSA GUZMAN, US NEWS REPORTER, 24 August 2025 

Bosses at one of America’s busiest airports have sparked fury by unveiling controversial plans to explore using nuclear energy.

Leaders at Denver International Airport in Colorado made the announcement earlier this month, sparking an immediate backlash from locals who claim they were never consulted.

The airport has since been forced to pause its plans for a feasibility study following the outcry.

Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore, who represents District 11, said the issue was never discussed with her constituents, who have questions about safety and nuclear waste. 

‘It never came up,’ she told Daily Mail. ‘Denver International Airport is trying to put the cart before the horse, and they got called out by the community.’

The airport was planning to pay up to $1.25million for a six to 12-month study to determine if nuclear power is viable for the airport long-term, what are the risks, and how much it would cost, among other things.

But Gilmore said her constituents are unequivocally opposed and highlighted that the proposed nuclear reactor is a relatively new technology which would be located near the two most racially diverse populations in the city and county of Denver.

‘People don’t want something that produces radioactive waste – something that we currently don’t have a way to even store it – in a community of color,’ Gilmore added.

She called Denver Airport CEO Phil Washington’s ‘rushed’ plan ‘half-baked’.

But more than that, she said the airport hasn’t reached out the community to hear their concerns, which include, the heightened risk for cancers, air and noise pollution, and radioactive chemicals being nearby, among others. ……………………………………………………………….

This is brand new technology that nobody really knows long-term issues with,’ she told Daily Mail. ‘That’s irresponsible.’ 

Denver is the third busiest airport in the US and the sixth worldwide. It handles 80million passengers a year and is estimated to see more than 120million by 2045. 

The city is hoping to find a more sustainable way to generate electricity to become ‘energy independent’ and to have the ‘greenest airport in the world,’ a press release stated. ………………………….

small reactors are still in the development stage in the US and it could be up to a decade before operations begin. 

Another drawback to nuclear power is that waste is stored on site as the US does not have a national disposal site. …………………… https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15015601/denver-international-airport-fury-nuclear-power-busy.html

August 25, 2025 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA