Some of the usual individuals are speaking out against the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. On Tuesday, an anti-WIPP group presented a petition to the governor’s office seeking to “stop WIPP expansion.”
As it has been since well before the facility for defense-generated transuranic waste opened in 1999, the opposition to WIPP is deeply rooted in misinformation and confusion about nuclear issues.
The current contention related to WIPP is related to the disposal of what’s called surplus plutonium. Over the past 30 years, the federal government determined that about half of its stockpile of weapons grade Plutonium was surplus to the nation’s needs. An original plan to use this to make MOX (mixed oxide fuel) was scrapped due to high costs and a lack of interest. The new plan is to dilute and dispose of much this material in the salt beds at WIPP.
To make one thing clear, material will be diluted in a manner guaranteeing that it could no longer be used in any way. It can not be used to generate weapons. It does not generate heat. In fact, several tons of similar diluted material have already been emplaced at WIPP as part of the DOE’s efforts to clean up other sites across the country. This material would still have to meet all acceptance requirements for transport to and disposal at WIPP. It also does not challenge the legislated volume capacity at WIPP.
Recently, the National Academy of Science evaluated the plan for WIPP. The NAS made a number of recommendations, but concluded that most of the plan’s processes and steps have been demonstrated effectively in the past.
It is certainly safe to say that one of the reasons we support WIPP is because of the tremendous economic impact it has on our community, and on the state. However, we are also very proud of the role we have in protecting national security, especially during these very volatile times. Carlsbad does so every day – by providing strategic resources such as potash, oil and gas, and by permanently isolating TRU waste in thick salt beds thousands of feet below the earth’s surface. Mostly, we’re proud of WIPP’s incredible commitment to safety. WIPP’s transportation model, for example, is now being used across the globe.
The recent protests against WIPP don’t seem to consider what most people who actually live in the area around the project think about the matter. I support the proposal to utilize WIPP for disposal of diluted surplus plutonium.
We encourage the Department of Energy to expand its outreach program on this issue to address the ongoing misinformation campaign.
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There will be a job fair on Wednesday from 2-7 p.m. at the Pecos River Village Conference Center. It is being hosted by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, the Carlsbad Department of Development and New Mexico Workforce Solutions. For more information, please call (575) 887-6516 or (575) 887-6562.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway