New Mexico OKs reopening troubled nuclear dump
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico regulators have approved restarting normal operations at the nation’s only underground nuclear waste repository, a major step for U.S. officials aiming to reopen the facility nearly three years after a radiation leak shut it down indefinitely.
Two letters obtained Thursday by The Associated Press outline the state Environment Department’s findings from a recent inspection of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
Regulators found two minor permit violations that were addressed immediately, but watchdog groups questioned whether the state’s decision was predetermined given the push by the U.S. Energy Department to reopen the site before year’s end.
The repository has been closed since a radiation release in February 2014 contaminated much of the underground disposal area and brought to light gaps in management and oversight.