Covert residents face April 28 deadline on proposed Palisades reactors
Covert MI residents who may be affected have until April 28 to ask for a hearing on early work tied to proposed new reactors at Palisades.
Covert Township residents who want to weigh in on proposed early work tied to new reactors at the Palisades Energy Center have a federal deadline today, April 28.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says people whose interests may be affected must file by the end of the day if they want to request a hearing or petition to intervene in the review of SMR, LLC’s Limited Work Authorization application. The application is tied to proposed Pioneer Units 1 and 2 at the Palisades site in Covert Township.
That distinction matters. The notice now before regulators is not a final approval for the reactors themselves. It is part of the NRC’s review process for a narrower request that could allow limited early work at the site if approved. In plain English, the agency is deciding whether some preliminary activity can move ahead while the larger licensing process continues.
What residents can do today
The NRC’s notice sets out the deadline for hearing requests and petitions to intervene. That is the formal step for people, groups, or other parties who believe they may be affected and want their concerns entered into the review.
Anyone following the project should pay attention to the docket and any next procedural steps after the deadline passes. If no timely request is filed, the review can move forward without that party’s participation in the hearing process.
Why Covert Township is the local center of this issue
The Palisades nuclear plant is located in Covert Township, making this a direct local matter rather than a distant federal filing. The NRC’s reactor information page places the site in the township, and local coverage has also focused on the proposed addition of two new reactors there.
For residents, the immediate issue is not whether the full project has been approved. It is whether the NRC should allow limited early work to proceed and who will have a chance to formally challenge or question that request.
The Federal Register notice describes the application and the scope of the requested action. For now, the proposed Pioneer Units 1 and 2 remain proposed, and the broader licensing path is still under review.
That means today’s deadline is a procedural but important one. For people near Palisades, it is the moment to decide whether to step into the federal process before the NRC moves to the next stage.
