The U.S. Energy Department has allocated $26 million to identify communities willing to host a temporary federal site for storing spent nuclear fuel until a permanent repository is established. Thirteen diverse groups, comprising industry representatives, academics, non-profits, government officials, and community leaders, each received $2 million to explore equitable solutions for selecting an interim storage location for highly radioactive waste from nuclear power plants. The initiative involves engaging in dialogue with residents and local governments, as stated in a recent press release. This study aims to create an independent federal storage site, separate from the two proposed private sites in southern New Mexico and Texas, which are currently entangled in political and legal disputes. The absence of a permanent disposal site presents a challenge for the federal government as it seeks to establish a temporary hub for storing spent nuclear fuel accumulating at 70 nuclear power plants across three dozen states. Opponents of interim waste storage sites argue that federal law, along with a newly enacted New Mexico statute, mandates the existence or active development of a permanent repository before an interim site can be constructed.