By Congressman Mike Simpson
I’ve spent the last few years reading and laughing at the so-called hit pieces Marc Johnson writes about Idaho elected officials, including myself.
The reason I find them comical is that they are rarely grounded in the facts. But my red line was watching Marc spread false and misleading information about Idaho National Laboratory being considered as a potential host for a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus.
His piece does Idahoans a disservice by collapsing a serious national research initiative into a punchline about a “cash for trash scheme.” Idaho’s history with nuclear energy, and its stake in this decision, deserves a more careful look.
Start with what the Idaho National Laboratory actually is. For more than 70 years, INL has been the country’s lead laboratory for nuclear energy research, not a waste dump with a friendly name. It is where the Navy’s nuclear propulsion program was born, where the first usable electricity from a nuclear reactor was generated in 1951, and where today’s advanced reactor designs, fuel fabrication techniques, and reprocessing science are being developed and tested.
The Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus proposal is best understood as an extension of work INL is already positioned, and in many cases already funded, to do. It is not a new invention designed to trick Idaho into becoming a dumping ground.
That doesn’t mean the waste question is illegitimate. It isn’t, and Idahoans are right to ask hard questions about it. Research, fuel fabrication, and reprocessing are fundamentally different from permanent waste disposal. The proposal is about advancing technologies that can reduce and recycle used nuclear fuel, not simply moving waste from one state to another. Those are important distinctions Marc ignores.
The same is true of the 1995 Batt Agreement. That agreement protected Idaho by establishing enforceable commitments with the federal government. The lesson isn’t that Idaho should never sign whatever the Department of Energy puts in front of it without asking tough questions first. It’s that Idaho should negotiate from a position of strength, with clear terms, firm deadlines, and accountability.
Idaho didn’t become the nation’s nuclear leader by being afraid of hard problems. It became the leader by being the state willing to do the difficult, careful work that others wouldn’t. That’s still the right instinct now.
The work taking place at INL strengthens our national security, supports thousands of high-paying Idaho jobs, and positions the United States to compete with Russia and China in advanced nuclear technology. That’s something Idahoans are proud of.
What makes Marc Johnson’s latest attack so predictable is that he has never meaningfully contributed to the scientific, technical, or policy discussions surrounding spent nuclear fuel. Instead, he has spent years criticizing the elected officials responsible for protecting Idaho’s interests.
More remarkable is that Marc hasn’t lived in Idaho for decades. He chose to leave the state, yet continues attempting to lecture Idahoans about decisions being made by the leaders they elected.
That raises a simple question: when was the last time Marc had to live with the consequences of Idaho policy? The last time Marc voted in an Idaho election was over a decade ago.
Idahoans don’t need lectures from someone who no longer lives here or answers to the people of this state.
Over the last several decades, my focus has remained the same: putting Idaho first. That means protecting Idaho’s interests in negotiations over spent nuclear fuel, supporting Idaho National Laboratory, strengthening our communities, fighting for Idaho agriculture and water, and ensuring public lands remain in public hands.
Idaho is more than capable of solving Idaho’s challenges. We don’t need lectures from someone who chose to leave decades ago. We especially don’t need someone offering advice when his state’s failed policies are driving Oregonians out of the state.
Maybe the next time Marc Johnson offers to write commentary about Idaho policy, he should reconsider writing about Oregon’s high homelessness rate, property crime, or maybe even taxes that burden Oregonians and everything else Oregonians can thank their elected officials for.
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About Mike Simpson
An Idaho native, Mike Simpson was born in Burley and raised in Blackfoot. His political career began in 1980, when he was elected to the Blackfoot City Council. In 1984, he was elected to the Idaho Legislature where he served until 1998, the last six years serving as Speaker. Mike is currently serving his fourteenth term in the House of Representatives for Idaho’s second congressional district. Visit https://simpson.house.gov/ to learn more or find contact info.
