Given the legal volume cap of the amount of TRU waste WIPP can receive, such a license amendment would allow more plutonium disposal, by counting the volume of only the inner container and not the larger outer container. Will the matter end up in court?
“December 21, 2018 – The New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED’s) Secretary issued a Final Order on the Permit modification seeking to clarify the TRU Mixed Waste Disposal Volume Reporting. NMED issued a draft Permit on August 6, 2018 with changes to include the stipulated language regarding shielded containers. The Final Order, response to comments, correspondence, and the applicable sections of the final Permit in redline that were modified can be seen by clicking on the links below. Additional information regarding this matter can be found under WIPP News for the following 2018 dates: January 31; April 27; June 1; June 27; August 6; September 22.”
NMED WIPP license page:
https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/wipp/
Photo: Drums with SRS plutonium on surface at WIPP, October 1, 2015;
SRS Watch director Tom Clements looks on