Radioactive waste storage continues in New Mexico with 14,000th shipment

CARLSBAD, N.M. (KRQE) – The U.S. Department of Energy says the 14,000th shipment of transuranic nuclear waste has been placed into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico.

“This marks an important milestone in our mission to clean up the country’s legacy waste dating back to World War II and Cold War eras. Achieving 14,000 shipments is the result of the hard work and dedication of the WIPP employees, as well as the staff at all the cleanup sites,” Mark Bollinger, the Office of Environmental Management Carlsbad Field Office manager, said in a press release. “It also reflects DOE’s continued focus on safely and compliantly cleaning up the environment for future generations.”

The site has been the repository of the nation’s nuclear waste from the defense industry since 1999. The federal government stores things like tools, rags, and debris that are contaminated with plutonium or other man-made radioactive elements, the DOE says. The waste is put into shielded containers and transported from sites around the country to the underground facility in southern New Mexico.

The DOE says drivers have covered more than 16.5 million miles transporting the waste to New Mexico without critical safety incidents. For the foreseeable future, waste will continue to make its way to the Land of Enchantment, as regulators recently approved another 10-year permit for storage.

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