By John Stang
The New Mexico Legislature’s Interim Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Committee will likely hold more public hearings before recommending how the state should respond to plans to build an interim used nuclear fuel storage site.
The panel met on May 17 to hear testimony from representatives of Holtec International and the Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance, which are partnering to develop the facility in Lea County. The session also offered an opportunity for others to air concerns about the project.
The committee anticipates one or more yet-to-be-scheduled hearings on the topic late this summer, according to panel Chairman Jeff Steinborn (D). He speculated that at least one hearing will be held in southeastern New Mexico, where Holtec plans to build its facility.
The New Jersey-based energy technology company in March 2017 applied for a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license to build a site that could ultimately hold more than 100,000 metric tons of spent fuel from U.S. nuclear reactors. The facilty, and a smaller storage project planned in West Texas, could be a means for the federal government to meet its congressional mandate to dispose of that material.
The NRC technical review of the Holtec license application began in February and is expected to wrap up by July 2020. If approved, the company hopes to open the initially licensed part of the facility, with capacity for 8,680 metric tons of used fuel, by 2022.
Steinborn told RadWaste Monitor there are a number of unanswered questions on long-term ripple effects of the Holtec project, and that answers are needed before the state government weighs in on the matter. His committee’s public hearings offer an opportunity to address those concerns, including: railroad routes; which states will send the fuel; the types of railcars that would be used; potentially necessary highway and railroad upgrades; legal liabilities; security; the detection of leaks; emergency procedures; and effects of leaks on air, water and livestock.
Steinborn has written letters to Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and Attorney General Hector Balderas to ask them to research many of these concerns. They have not yet provided detailed answers, he said.
New Mexico legislators have voiced concerns about the iffy status of the U.S. Energy Department’s proposed permanent spent fuel repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, fearing Holtec’s interim storage facility could become permanent by default.
Also, Steinborn said the committee will have to research whether the state has any control over groundwater issues pertaining to the site. Some opponents of interim storage have contended the state can exert control on the project with groundwater regulations that control how much can be taken out of an aquifer and the quality of the water returned to the aquifer. Steinborn said he was unsure if that is the case and wants that aspect researched.
A number of New Mexico lawmakers are concerned about the NRC making decisions before the state government can review and officially weigh in on the project. The federal agency in recent weeks conducted four public hearings across the state to help guide development of an environmental impact statement for the license application. Strong opposition to the project has surfaced at these events.
However, Martinez supports the project, as do leaders in Lea and Eddy counties. The Albuquerque Journal’s editorial board came out in favor of the project this week.
“Holtec has been in business for more than 30 years. … More than 100 nuclear plants worldwide are under contract to use its dry storage systems. Its containers can withstand direct artillery strikes and the potential impact of two rail cars smashing head-on into each other at 60 mph. They are stored in concrete cavities that can survive a crashing aircraft or missile attack. The proposed 960-acre site between Carlsbad and Hobbs is remote and geologically stable with no potable aquifers. It will have a 672-acre security and safety buffer zone. To date more than 25,000 shipments of 87,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel have been made worldwide with no injury,” the editorial said.
