New Mexico shouldn’t be nuclear dumping ground
RE: THE PROPOSED nuclear storage facility (in southeastern New Mexico). I’m concerned with the proposed Consolidated Interim Storage Facility for highly radioactive, spent nuclear fuel rods being proposed by Holtec International and the Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance in Lea and Eddy counties. The project is currently under review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for licensing. Gov. (Susana) Martinez and all the government officials in Lea and Eddy counties support this effort for creating jobs. However, nuclear waste may be coming through various parts of the state to get to this facility. Shouldn’t all New Mexicans have a say in this?
It is time for the federal government to stop kicking the ball down the road for a permanent storage site for expended nuclear fuel rods. We do not need another temporary storage site as this material is currently being stored at decommissioned power plants. Why not renew the effort at Yucca Mountain, Nevada? Some regulatory requirements have likely been met and other design and construction efforts have likely been accomplished.
A temporary storage site will be costly to build and operate. Constructing a permanent site will cost more and double the overall cost to store our nuclear waste. Additionally, transportation costs for the nearly 185 ton nuclear waste containers would double. Or, will the temporary site in New Mexico be made permanent to avoid these costly duplicate expenditures?
We already have the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). New Mexico doesn’t need to be our nation’s sole dumping ground for highly radioactive nuclear waste.