DOE agrees to $73M settlement over radioactive leak in New Mexico
In February 2014, radioactive material was leaked during an incident at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico, which resulted from a shipment from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to WIPP.
 |
|
Entrance to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Credit: Department of Energy |
New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez and Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Ernest Moniz have finally agreed on a settlement in the case -- worth $73 million. Through the agreement, DOE will be allowed to make improvements to both facilities.
"The Department of Energy and the State of New Mexico have worked together to identify projects at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and the Los Alamos National Laboratory that are mutually beneficial and do not detract from cleanup at these sites," said Secretary Moniz in a statement. "I am pleased that we were able to find a solution that will allow the Department to focus on resuming operations at WIPP and improving our waste management operations, while providing benefit to the environment and to local communities in New Mexico."
The settlement came from 31 violations issued to DOE in December 2014, to both WIPP and LANL. DOE said that the settlement resolves any potential DOE liabilities, as well as those by DOE contractors in the state of New Mexico, relating to the incident.
"This settlement was the best possible outcome in a difficult situation," Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway told FierceEnergy. "We are extremely grateful to hear that the funds from this settlement will be used to make appropriate related safety improvements in Southeastern New Mexico and Los Alamos. We're also very glad that this funding will not hurt WIPP's operations budget.
In March, DOE released a report on the incident, which found that a leak in an underground repository contaminated 21 people with low-level radioctivity and caused the release of radioactive materials into the environment. Although the leak happened at WIPP, the shipment was found to be incorrectly packed at LANL.
DOE's part of the settlement doesn't include fines -- instead, they will be providing support for numerous projects in the state. According to a statement by the department, those projects are both critical and mutually beneficial for the state of New Mexico -- to better safeguard transportation routed around DOE sites in the state.
The projects are worth $73 million, and include:
- $34 million to improve roads and transportation routes around the WIPP site in New Mexico;
- $12 million to improve transuranic waste transportation routes in and around Los Alamos;
- $10 million to upgrade critical water infrastructure in and around Los Alamos;
- $9.5 million to build engineering structures and increase monitoring capabilities around LANL to better manage storm water flows;
- $5 million to construct an emergency operations center in Carlsbad and provide enhanced training for emergency responders and mine rescue teams; and
- $2.75 million to fund an independent triennial compliance and operational review
"This agreement underscores the importance of WIPP and LANL as critical assets to our nation's security, our state's economy, and the communities in which they operate," said Governor Martinez. "The funds we will receive through the agreement will be used to continue ensuring the safety and success of these important facilities, the people who work there, and their local communities. I commend the Department of Energy for taking responsibility, and we look forward to continuing to work with the federal government to ensure the safety and success of LANL and WIPP."
DOE, Los Alamos National Security, and Nuclear Waste Partnership, along with other organizations, will be meeting in coming weeks to discuss an implementation plan.
"We thank Secretary Moniz and the Department of Energy for showing a willingness to negotiate and come to these terms, and we look forward to moving forward with WIPP's recovery effort," Mayor Janway told FierceEnergy. "WIPP is important to the nation, and it is time to move forward."
For more:
- view the
settlement
- view this
report
- read this background
article
© 2015 FierceMarkets, a division of Questex Media Group LLC. All rights reserved.