There will be a very important WIPP hearing on Tuesday from 6-9 p.m. at the Pecos River Village Carousel House. This is related to the NNSA’s plan to dilute and dispose of the nation’s surplus plutonium at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad. This material was declared surplus to the nation back in 1994, and the federal government has been tasked with finding a solution. Currently, the leading option is to dilute it (so that it isn’t usable) and then place it in WIPP’s underground repository for defense-generated TRU waste. Material would be diluted in a fashion to where it could no longer be utilized in any matter. The process is ultimately no different than waste going to WIPP from other locations across the country.
In fact, six metric tons of this material has already been approved for disposal of at WIPP, and some shipments from Savannah River recently arrived here. Tuesday’s public hearing relates to an additional segment of this waste.
We strongly support this plan – it’s a safe, cost-effective process, and it continues to put the underground repository near Carlsbad to good use. The alternatives being proposed are more expensive, and, in some instances, not feasible. In 2020, the National Academies of Science Committee said the dilute and dispose plan was technically sound, and it is currently the NNSA’s preferred alternative. All elements of this have been studied in extensive detail.
Carlsbad is proud to be the host community for WIPP, as we understand and enjoy the vital role we share toward national security. We have certainly benefitted from hosting WIPP in terms of job creation and the strong academic presence WIPP has delivered to our community. Of course, the economic benefits would not be worthwhile were the project not handled safely. WIPP has had an exemplary safety record, from transportation through emplacement. Deep geologic disposal in salt will permanently isolate this material from the biosphere essentially forever. The amount of waste would also not challenge the legislated volume capacity of WIPP.
The resulting waste could never again be used for weapons. It will not generate heat. It will not need shielding, and workers may safely load, unload, and emplace it as 55-gallon drums, just like other transuranic waste disposed of over the past two decades.
If you have questions about this process, we hope you’ll attend Tuesday’s meeting and listen to the discussion. Then, if you’ve like to submit comments later, they can be submitted through mid February.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway