Let’s Talk New Mexico, 7/18 8a: The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Southern New Mexico celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. When it first opened in 1999, there were plans to site other underground repositories around the country, and WIPP would close in 2024. But that has not happened. Last year, state environmental regulators finalized a 10-year permit extension that they said would increase oversight and safeguards, while prioritizing the cleanup of Cold War-era waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
What is the future of WIPP, which was supposed to be a pilot project, especially with more plutonium pit production planned at Los Alamos National Laboratory? How long will WIPP remain open and will it be expanded? Those are some of the questions advocates have for a town hall that will take place on July 22nd with top officials from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration and its Office of Environmental Management.
What questions do you have about the future of nuclear waste production and storage in New Mexico? Email us at LetsTalk@kunm.org, leave a voicemail below, or call in on Thursday during the show at 505-277-5866.
People can also submit questions for the town hall at external.engagements@nnsa.doe.gov
Guests:
- Myrriah Gómez, Associate Professor, University of New Mexico Honors College, author of Nuclear Nuevo México: Colonialism and the Effects of the Nuclear Industrial Complex on Nuevomexicanos
- Don Hancock, Director, Nuclear Waste Safety Program, Southwest Research and Information Center
- Caitlin Martinez, Hazardous Waste Bureau, New Mexico Environment Department
- Megan McLean, Acting WIPP Program Manager, New Mexico Environment Department
