Western governors: States not consulted on nuclear waste

Source: Associated Press

Western governors: States not consulted on nuclear waste

By KEITH RIDLER
October 4, 2019

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Western governors are disappointed that the U.S. Department of Energy didn’t consult their states’ nuclear waste experts before releasing a five-year plan for a nuclear waste facility in New Mexico, the governors say.

The Western Governors’ Association in a Sept. 30 letter to the Energy Department said the plan released in August for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant could have benefited with contributions from the states concerning transportation and safety.

The underground repository near Carlsbad, New Mexico, typically referred to as WIPP, takes in plutonium-contaminated clothing, tools and other material generated at 22 sites across the nation involved in Cold War-era nuclear research and bomb-making.

Among those sites are the Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee, Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois and the Hanford site in Washington state.

“Western Governors have a vested interest in the safety and functionality of WIPP, as its internal practices and regional shipping procedures affect the health and safety of citizens across the West,” states the letter signed by Oregon Democratic Gov. Kate Brown and North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/05e7730b9042489e9466be8a4340730c