As coal plants close, Colorado towns consider nuclear waste storage
The federal government hopes former coal towns will help the nuclear industry grow, by taking on the decades-long challenge of storing radioactive waste
![Hayden Station, a coal-fired power plant, dominates part of the landscape between Hayden and Steamboat Springs in northwest Colorado. The power plant is expected to start shutting down before the end of the decade.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/6000x4000!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5a%2Fb5%2F1b1a66454e29a34f5bb7624f8a4a%2Fsf-hayden01.jpg)
The federal government hopes former coal towns will help the nuclear industry grow, by taking on the decades-long challenge of storing radioactive waste
(Image credit: Scott Franz)