Study: NM Could Lead in Nuclear Waste Solution

WASHINGTON – America has a serious nuclear waste problem that can be fixed only with dramatic changes to national policy, and New Mexico could help lead by example, according to a major federal study released Thursday.

The Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future – a panel of policy experts commissioned by Energy Secretary Steven Chu that included former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. – issued its 180-page report Thursday after nearly two years of study. The report cites the Waste Isolation Pilot Project, which stores nuclear waste near Carlsbad, as a premier example of how to site a nuclear waste disposal.

But the report also said President Barack Obama’s decision to halt construction of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump in Nevada early in his administration reflected a long-festering waste disposal policy that “has now all but completely broken down.”

“Put simply, this nation’s failure to come to grips with the nuclear waste issue has already proved damaging and costly and it will be more damaging and more costly the longer it continues,” the report says.

The report doesn’t make specific recommendations about where to build new nuclear waste facilities, but its praise of WIPP should encourage community leaders in southern New Mexico who are eager to embrace more nuclear waste and the high-paying jobs that come with its disposal, Domenici said.

“The report is replete with references to (WIPP) in Carlsbad,” Domenici told the Journal, adding that the salty earth in southeastern New Mexico could be suitable for some additional nuclear waste storage. “That part of New Mexico has many sites that probably fit the bill. It’s a highly probable site in the future.”

The report stresses that any siting decision should be made with heavy input from the communities affected – and preferably only with their strong encouragement.

“Based on a review of successful siting processes in the United States and abroad – including most notably the siting of a disposal facility for transuranic radioactive waste, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico, and recent positive outcomes in Finland, France, Spain and Sweden – we believe this type of approach can provide the flexibility and sustain the public trust and confidence needed to see controversial facilities through to completion,” the report said.

WIPP currently stores waste such as plutonium-contaminated gloves and tools. Some, including Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., have suggested that southeastern New Mexico be considered for even more radioactive nuclear waste. Pearce, who represents southern New Mexico, including Carlsbad, could not be reached for comment on the report Thursday.

It is unlikely that new decisions on where to build nuclear waste dumps will be made anytime soon. In fact, it could take many years. The report suggests a major overhaul of national nuclear waste policy, including establishing a new legal process for selecting sites and the creation of an independent, government-chartered corporation focused solely on carrying out the task of securing the waste. That job currently falls to the Department of Energy.

Questions about where to put nuclear waste are becoming more urgent as America’s energy needs grow. About 20 percent of the nation’s power is currently supplied by nuclear reactors, and advocates would like to see that number increase as fossil fuels become scarcer. However, anti-nuclear activists remain a powerful political force.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a New Mexico Democrat who is chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said Thursday he was still digesting the 180-page report and had no direct comment on its recommendations. He has scheduled a committee hearing on the report for Feb. 2.

Don Hancock, of Southwest Research and Information Center in Albuquerque and a frequent critic of WIPP, said he supports many of the report’s recommendations, including setting up a new government corporation, establishing new siting standards and creating a “consent-based approach.”

“But I clearly don’t agree with Domenici or anybody else saying we should be going ahead with southeastern New Mexico for either centralized (waste) storage or disposal,” Hancock said. “I also don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon.”
— This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal