The Department of Energy is expected to announce as early as today an agreement with Waste Control Specialists for temporary storage of transuranic waste from Los Alamos during the shutdown of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, WC Monitor has learned. Los Alamos National Laboratory is in the midst of a campaign to remove 3,706 cubic meters of aboveground transuranic waste to meet a June commitment to New Mexico. Despite the indefinite shutdown of WIPP due to a recent fire and radiation release, Department officials have said that they still plan to meet that deadline and are looking for alternate locations to stage the waste until WIPP is reopened.
WCS’ commercial low level waste disposal facility in Andrews, Texas, about 75 miles away from WIPP, has said that it would be able to store the waste temporarily. WCS yesterday referred request for comment to DOE, which did not respond to request for comment.
Jobs