nuclear-news

Mismanagement at WIPP plant

Critics blame mismanagement for WIPP delay By Lauren Villagran / Journal Staff Writer – Las Cruces Bureau
PUBLISHED: Sunday, August 23, 2015  Albuquerque Journal

The U.S. Department of Energy says its decision to indefinitely delay reopening a southeast New Mexico nuclear waste repository is due to safety concerns and equipment setbacks, but critics claim the holdup has as much to do with missteps and inadequate oversight.

DOE says it needs more time to ensure a safe recovery from last year’s underground fire and radiation leak at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, so the March 2016 target to restart some operations is no longer feasible. A new schedule is expected this fall – and is likely to come with increased costs above the original $500 million estimated.

But local watchdogs claim the delays stem from errors made by the site contractor and inadequate oversight by DOE – not just safety concerns.

John Heaton, head of the Carlsbad mayor’s Nuclear Task Force, rattled off a list of issues at WIPP, including ventilation equipment that was damaged en route from the manufacturer, a safety document that has taken more than eight months to rewrite, delays in decisions about how to permanently reconfigure the contaminated underground ventilation system – among other things.

“It’s just really frustrating,” he said. “How would you call it anything but incompetence?……..http://www.abqjournal.com/632748/news/wipp-delay-blamed-on-mismanagement.html

August 24, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general