The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Opened 25 Years Ago; It Was Supposed to Close Next Week

https://nuclearactive.org/ March 21st, 2024

Did you know that on Friday, March 26, 1999, the first shipment of plutonium-contaminated nuclear weapons waste from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) reached the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)?

Earlier that week, on Monday, March 22, 1999, Federal Judge John Garrett Penn lifted a seven-year injunction allowing the shipment of purely radioactive waste to WIPP. The shipment did not contain any hazardous waste. In fact it wasn’t even Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear weapons waste. It was NASA waste from the production of the plutonium batteries for the Cassini space vehicle.

On Tuesday, March 23^rd, LANL loaded waste drums into the three TRUPACT shipping containers.

On Wednesday, March 24^th, final testing was done and the truck and trailer with three TRUPACTS was ready.

Peaceful protesters with signs had gathered at the intersection of Airport Road and 599 on the south side of Santa Fe. National Guard, police and other security personnel dressed in combat gear lined the intersection for about a block in each direction. Black Hawk helicopters flew over the area. A little snow fell. Nevertheless, tensions were high.

LANL checked the weather conditions and it was determined that the shipment could not leave LANL. To ship, a five-hour clear weather window was required. A dense fog had developed around Santa Rosa, New Mexico and the shipment did not depart from LANL.

LANL tried again, successfully, on Thursday, March 25^th. Again peaceful protesters and security personnel were at the intersection.

Early on the morning of Friday, March 26^th, the shipment arrived at WIPP to cheers from those waiting to see the truck and trailer. https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/fight-wipp-history-nations-deep-geologic-nuclear-waste-repository

Prior to the arrival of the first shipment at WIPP, DOE had promised the People of New Mexico that it would clean up all the transuranic, or plutonium-contaminated, waste across the nuclear weapons complex,

including LANL, and dispose of it in the underground salt bed at WIPP in 25 years and begin a 10-year closure of the facility. For example: http://nuclearactive.org/elected-officials-question-doe-plans-to-keep-wipp-operating-forever/ (Aug. 11, 2022); http://nuclearactive.org/doe-breaks-its-promises-to-new-mexico-part-i/ (Jan. 12, 2021); and http://nuclearactive.org/doe-breaks-its-promises-to-new-mexico-part-2/ (Jan. 19, 2021).

Next Tuesday, March 26, 2024, is the 25-year deadline. But DOE and WIPP will not make its deadline. In fact, DOE plans to keep WIPP open until 2083, basically forever, for LANL waste from fabricating new and provocative nuclear weapons. …………………………………………………more https://nuclearactive.org/