HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. - The jagged limestone rocks of Old Standard Quarry have weathered many eras of history. The property was the site of a Civil War battle, then a quarry and is now a popular destination for bungee jumping, its dark green water fed by a natural spring.

Recently, the state proposed yet another use for the land: as storage for radioactive nuclear waste from around the country.

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“I thought it was a joke,” said Pasha Majdi, president of the Jefferson County Commission. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

It wasn’t a joke. Without consulting residents or local officials, Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s energy office submitted a detailed pitch to the Trump administration offering the...