New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) on Tuesday called on President Donald Trump to oppose commercial plans for facilities in her state and neighboring Texas that could temporarily store tens of thousands of tons of radioactive used fuel from U.S. nuclear power plants.
“Given that a permanent repository for high-level waste does not exist in the United States and there is no existing plan to build one, any ‘interim’ storage facility will be an indefinite storage facility, and the risks for New Mexicans, our natural resources and our economy are too high,” Lujan Grisham wrote at the end of a three-page letter to the White House, first reported by the Albuquerque Journal.
The letter details perceived hazards posed by the sites, which the former member of Congress has raised repeatedly since taking office in January 2019. Lujan Grisham specifically addressed the potential impacts on the agricultural and energy sectors, which provide billions of dollars in annual revenue to the state and are crucial to the southeastern New Mexico region in which Holtec International’s consolidated interim storage faciliy (CISFs) would be built.
The White House on Wednesday referred questions about the letter to the Department of Energy, which did not respond to a query by deadline.
New Jersey-based energy technology company Holtec applied in March 2017 to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for authorization to store up to 8,680 metric tons of spent fuel in 500 canisters in Lea County, N.M. The facility ultimately could be expanded to just-underground storage of 10,000 canisters with over 100,000 metric tons of waste, for up to 120 years.
“As we continue through the NRC regulatory process, we continue to work closely with our partner, the Eddy Lea Energy Alliance (ELEA) and community leaders to ensure that we meet all regulatory requirements and address all concerns,” the company said Thursday. “We worked closely with the previous administration and will continue to work with the current administration and look forward to further constructive discussions as this process moves forward.”
Interim Storage Partners, a partnership of Orano and Waste Control Specialists, applied in June 2018 for an NRC license covering above-ground storage of 5,000 metric tons of material in nearby Andrews County, Texas. Its site could eventually hold 40,000 metric tons for 120 years.
