With shipments of transuranic waste from Los Alamos National Laboratory on hold while officials investigate drums from the site, the June 30 deadline is at risk if shipments don’t restart soon, New Mexico Environment Department Secretary Ryan Flynn told WC Monitor yesterday. After the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant shut down three months ago due to a radiation release, LANL began shipping the waste to for temporary storage at Waste Control Specialists in order to meet a commitment to remove 3,706 cubic meters of transuranic waste by June 30. “I think it’s still possible,” Flynn said. “But if they’re not moving waste in the next couple of weeks then I don’t think it’s going to be possible. … If they are not shipping by the end of the month, then they won’t be able to meet the deadline.” Shipments from LANL to WCS were halted nearly two weeks ago as officials investigated whether drums from the site containing nitrate salts caused the release. Flynn said he hopes to have more information by the end of the week as to whether the theory is accurate.
While New Mexico took a hard stance on the deadline following the WIPP shutdown, Flynn said the current pause in shipments was necessary. “We are very committed to getting all of the TRU waste out of Los Alamos as quickly as possible. We haven’t moved the June 30 deadline,” Flynn said. “But in light of the nitrate salt theory, we absolutely agreed that we need to address immediate potential risks. We had no problem with DOE determining that we need to isolate that waste stream. At this point we need to assess whether that theory is viable. While we are still committed to completing removal as quickly as possible, transporting the waste right now is not a risk that I think is acceptable.”
