Nuclear risk: Restarting MI plant has some farmers worried

Explore the potential impacts of the plant's reopening.

Dec. 12, 2024 The Midwest Center For Investigative Reporting

A now-closed Michigan nuclear power plant with a troubled history could reopen. What would it mean for the ‘blueberry capital’ of the world?

An effort to reopen a troubled nuclear power plant in southwest Michigan is causing concern for some of the region’s farmers.

"A leak (and) this 150-year-old farm is done," said Bill Adams, who runs Adams Blueberry Farms in Hartford, Michigan, 16 miles south of the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station. "Why would they restart something that old and sitting this long?"

Opened in 1971, Palisades regularly dealt with leaks of radioactive water and cracks in its storage tank. Federal officials labeled it one of the worst cases of nuclear fuel container weakening in the nation.

While the plant was shut down in 2022, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has announced a plan to reopen the facility. This week’s top story takes a closer look at what reopening the plant could mean for the region’s robust agriculture sector, which has been called the "blueberry capital of the world." The story also highlights nuclear power plant disasters in other countries, showing just how devastating it can be for crops and animals.

— Ben Felder, editor in chief

Risky Revival: How the Palisades plant could impact agriculture
By S. Nicole Lane, for Investigate Midwest

COVERT, Michigan — The Palisades Nuclear Generating Station, long synonymous with safety lapses and regulatory oversight, is poised for an unprecedented comeback under Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to reopen the shuttered plant by 2025 — the first attempt of its kind in U.S. history.

However, in this robust agricultural region, there are fears about how reopening a problematic plant could impact area farmers and the food they produce.

Approximately 6,362 farms are within 50 miles of Palisades. In Van Buren County alone, where the plant is located, there are 838 farms.

Located along Lake Michigan, the plant once generated 5% of Michigan’s electricity, enough to power 800,000 homes. But a litany of mechanical issues plagued its operations for decades.

In 2013, the plant leaked 79 gallons of diluted radioactive water into Lake Michigan, forcing a five-week shutdown — its ninth closure in just two years.