Intermountain-West Nuclear Energy Corridor – Idaho and Wyoming (Rock Springs and Laramie)
This “Tech Hub” was created in 2023 by the Biden-Harris Administration, and the funding came not from the U.S. Dept. of Energy or the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, but rather the U.S. Treasury and the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). Much of the EDA grants awarded to Wyoming (listed below) are for workforce training programs, college programs and various types of institutional infrastructure.
The EDA identifies the lead agency for this Hub as the Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium, who provided the following diagram to illustrate a basic roadmap:
https://idahoadvancedenergy.org/intermountain-west-nuclear-energy-corridor-inec/
The most disturbing aspect in the Intermountain-west Nuclear Energy Corridor Designation Proposal is the overarching policy priority to “decarbonize the human footprint”.
According to the EDA webpage for the Intermountain-West Nuclear Energy Corridor, “Awards issued prior to 2025 represent actions taken during previous administrations and do not necessarily reflect current investment priorities“.
While the current Trump administration will likely make changes to this initiative, or replace it altogether, it is quite plausible that the workforce training and college programs will remain and be funded differently.
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