There are two upcoming hearings related to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant that are vital to the future of the underground facility for defense-generated transuranic (TRU) waste.

Carlsbad has a long and proud legacy of being the host community for WIPP, so we certainly encourage residents to participate in these public comment periods. We also know that a large number of our residents are new to town, and may not be fully briefed on WIPP. If you’d like to learn more about this project, we encourage you to keep an open mind and to contact us.

First, the NNSA has issued what’s called an Environmental Impact Statement related to the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program. A public comment period ends on Feb. 14 and there will also be a public meeting from 6-9 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Pecos River Village Carousel House.  We support the NNSA’s proposal to dilute this waste and then safely emplace it at WIPP. You can read more about this opportunity to comment at: https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0549-surplus-plutonium-disposition-program.

The second issue is related to the draft permit for WIPP’s ten year renewal with the state, through the New Mexico Environment Department. The NMED regulates the hazardous materials (non nuclear) side of WIPP. In December, the NMED proposed an extreme set of additions to this permit, which, if implemented, would massively strengthen the agency’s future authority over WIPP. This could allow the state to halt shipments for a wide variety of reasons that are well outside of the state’s traditional authority or even WIPP’s ability to control.

If implemented, we believe many of these provisions could result in an early closure of WIPP and the loss of thousands of jobs.

For example, the NMED is proposing a provision where the state permit is automatically revoked if changes are made to the federal Land Withdrawal Act, which defines the scope of WIPP. The Land Withdrawal Act is subject to the will of the United States Congress, the highest legislative authority in our land. WIPP is also unable to control how many shipments are coming out of Los Alamos, for example, or whether or not another repository is being sited.

Advocates of the NMED’s proposal are mentioning other nuclear activities in New Mexico, such as the Trinity Site and uranium mining, as justification for the need to set boundaries. They are getting tough on WIPP, they say, because the federal government has ignored them.

However, it’s a mistake from the starting point to lump in WIPP, which safely offers a national solution, in with these concerns. It’s also a mistake to ignore the numerous benefits, including the existence of two national labs, thousands of jobs and national cleanup success, resulting from both WIPP and New Mexico’s overall nuclear legacy.  It’s also a mistake to abuse what should be a neutral regulatory process to make these points.

It is certainly our impression that the residents of Carlsbad and the surrounding area did not have any voice when the New Mexico Environment Department was considering its proposed modifications to the ten year permit. We hope the NMED will fairly consider the viewpoints of the citizens who live and work near WIPP when developing its regulatory framework. A written public comment period began on Dec. 20 and will end at 5 p.m. Feb. 18. For more information, please visit www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp/.

What it boils down to is that WIPP has an incredible safety record and is a welcome member of our community and state. We strongly support continuing to put the facility to good use.