Public radio from Western Michigan University 102.1 NPR News | 89.9 Classical WMUK
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Communities near the Palisades nuclear plant brace for its closure

The sandy Lake Michigan shore skirts the edge of the Palisades complex. Buildings and a cooling tower are visible.
Rebecca Thiele
The Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert

If you stroll out to the South Haven Lighthouse and look South along the shoreline, you can’t miss the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant with its billowing steam. Sarah Snoeyink says eventually the familiar sight will disappear from the beach. 

“It won’t happen overnight, obviously it’s a controlled process, especially given all the radiological materials that might be in the area. But ultimately the building will be torn down,” said Snoeyink, who works for Market Van Buren, an economic development agency. It's organizing public meetings for the advisory panel that’s studying the impact of decommissioning of the power plant, which is set to close at the end of May.

“The short answer on how long this process is going to take is: decades,” added Snoeyink, who expects to hear similar questions from the public in the coming weeks.

As the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant gets ready to close its doors and turn off the lights for good, the Palisades Community Advisory Panel is just beginning its work. The 33-member panel committee was appointed by the Van Buren Board of Commissioners.

“We’re not the first community to have gone through a nuclear power plant closure and this has been identified as a best practice for the other communities that have gone before us,” said Snoeyink. “Essentially the purpose of this panel is 2-fold: First it’s going to provide a forum for open communication, public involvement and education on the processes of the Palisades closure and decommissioning, and it’s also going to provide a space for both the panel and the community to evaluate and comment upon public data that comes from places like the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.”

“Having said all that,” Snoeyink said, “it is important to note that the nuclear regulatory commission is the body that has exclusive jurisdiction over the decommissioning process.”

The Advisory Panel will hold three meetings this spring.  The public can attend virtually and in-person. The first public meeting is Wednesday, Jan. 26 from 6-8 p.m. at Lake Michigan College in South Haven and also on Zoom. The focus of the first meeting is the economic impact of the closure on the community.

“This closure is going to be impacting a lot of people. The community is broader than Van Buren County,” said Snoeyink. “It’s also going to be impacting folks in Cass County, Berrien, Allegan, Kalamazoo. There’s no shortage of people who want to be involved in this process and that’s truly what this panel is for. It’s for folks who want to have a space where their voice can be heard and want to be able to have answers to their questions.”

The next two meetings will focus on the decommissioning process from the company doing the work, Holtech International, and from the agency that regulates power plants, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Dates for those meetings will be determined at the first meeting.

The public can also email a question or comment to

palisades@marketvanburen.org. Put “public comment” in the subject line of the email.

Leona has worked as a journalist for most of her life - in radio, print, television and as journalism instructor. She has a background in consumer news, special projects and investigative reporting.