Organizers of a project to test rocks deep underground in Spink County say they won’t pursue the plan any further. Researchers wanted to find out if it’s possible to drill a hole deep and straight enough to store nuclear waste inside. Proponents say nuclear waste isn’t involved in the project. Opponents worry about what will happen after the hole is dug. Spink County Commissioners recently sent a letter to organizers saying they don’t have enough support for a required re-zoning to pass. Dave Albrecht chairs the commission. He says officials with Battelle, the organization leading the project say they are moving on.
“There just wasn’t anywhere to go from there, you know,” Albrecht says. “I don’t know what they could’ve done to change that level of support. When you get an issue this controversial people make up their minds early and it’s hard to change that opinion. So I think they sensed that. And they’ve got a tough job to do.”
A spokesperson for Battelle says organizers are now focusing on alternative project sites around the country. They’ve been developing them in parallel with efforts in South Dakota.