WIPP Agency-Initiated Modification Draft Permit

 Megan McLean WIPP Program Manager

 Hazardous Waste Bureau - New Mexico Environment Department, 

2905 Rodeo Park Drive East, Building 1, Santa Fe, New Mexico,87505-6303

HWB-WIPP-Comment@env.nm.gov

Comments on NMED’s draft WIPP permit modification

I raised...↓ my children in one of the small, semirural communities surrounding Los Alamos National Labs.  The children they grew up with who worked at the labs have all passed now, leaving their families and community without the presence and energy of these wonderful people in their prime.

These communities, who provide LANL with many of its workers, are also facing other problems caused by the labs: pollution of the regional aquifer by Hexavalent Chromium, historic air contamination of land and agricultural products by the Cerro Grande fire and the constant threat, in these arid times, of forest fires igniting the thousands of drums of radioactive wastes stored at LANL in tents.

The New Mexico Environment Department has advocated for relief for these communities for many years with little progress being made.  Now, the NMED is drawing a line in the sand:  Clean up or stop shipping radioactive wastes to WIPP from other states 

Do we see these rural communities as an important part of who we are as New Mexicans or are they just collateral damage for whatever benefits the nuclear industry bestows on the state?  This is the question that is being answered by this permit modification:  All our communities are important and we as a state will stand up for them against the sometimes seemingly uncaring federal government and its often damaging policies.

An example of this lack of concern for these communities is the federal government’s allocation of billions of dollars to manufacture plutonium pits at the labs while cutting clean up allocations.  This move to manufacture more plutonium pits comes as the world community, through the United Nations, has declared nuclear weapons to be illegal and the Catholic Church, immoral.  Another is the abandonment of important cleanup projects because they might interfere with the manufacturing of pits.  Another is neglecting to address community concerns about emergency preparedness.

As a group, Los Alamos Downwind Neighbors supports NMED’s hard line enforcement of clean up at Los Alamos Labs as stated in the amendment to WIPP’s permit proposed by the New Mexico Environment Department and including the following provisions:

• From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55% of the total volume of all waste must be LANL legacy waste.

• Beginning January 1, 2032, at least 75% must be LANL legacy waste.

• Legacy waste at LANL Material Disposal Area-G must be shipped by July 1, 2028.

• If requirements are not met, all non-LANL shipments stop until corrected.

Sincerely,

Janet Greenwald

For Los Alamos Downwind Neighbors

PO Box 30, Llano, NM 87543

I support the AIM draft permit that clarifies the

priority to emplace legacy waste. I'm relieved that it provides timelines for

addressing contaminated waste currently stored above ground at LANL. I remain

deeply concerned about the vast amounts of wast...↓e at LANL that the DOE has been

dragging its feet on cleaning up. I urge the NMED to hold DOE accountable for

cleaning up all waste at LANL in the future, beyond the waste that is covered

by this Draft Permit.

Thank you,

Cassandra Reid

5614 Isleta Blvd. SW

Albuquerque, NM 87105

Dear Ms. McLean,

On April 23, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a Draft Permit proposing to require a minimum percentage of legacy shipments in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (Permit). The per...↓centage comes as an agency-initiated modification (AIM). New Mexico Hazardous Waste Regulations provide for NMED to modify an existing permit for cause upon the receipt of information not available at the time of permit issuance. NMED has determined there is sufficient basis for the development of this agency-initiated modification that clarifies the priority to emplace legacy waste and reduces the risk of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) legacy waste during the current permit term.

These proposed changes that would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure that legacy transuranic waste shipments from Los Alamos are more than half (by volume) of the annual total legacy waste shipments from all other DOE sites. I strongly support these proposed changes.

DOE will likely claim that that they can not afford this, while spending $5B this year on nuclear weapons pit production at LANL Cleanup is part of the job. DOE has not done the job back to the the beginning of the Cold War. Plus, DOE plans to leave 1 million cubic meters of radioactive and hazardous waste buried in a seismic zone between a rift and a dormant supervolcano.

I support the main proposed changes the of the Draft Permit:

·     From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55% of the total volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator/storage sites must be LANL legacy waste.

·     Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP, LANL legacy waste must be at least 75% of the total volume of waste emplaced from all generator/storage sites.

·     Legacy waste currently stored above-ground at LANL Material Disposal Area-G shall be shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028.

·     If at any point any of those conditions are not met, all generator/storage site shipments (with the exception of LANL) must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

·     An annual report, due by April 30 of each year, for each generator/storage site and for both legacy and non-legacy waste, shall detail information needed to demonstrate prioritization of LANL legacy waste and compliance with the requirements of this Permit section.

I believe it will be possible to get the above-ground waste out by July 1, 2028.

The AIM has no date for the buried waste to be gone. It just has requirements for the percentages of LANL legacy waste to go to WIPP on an annual basis. A date to determine what buried legacy waste that exists is needed. Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I suggest January 1, 2029 as the required date to have completed this below-ground inventory.

WIPP is not a jobs program. It will be in operation long after its original completion date of 2024 as promised to the people of the State of New Mexico. It is DOE itself that has been delaying work at WIPP by not funding WIPP adequately. DOE should be planning its next repository by now.

Pit production is NNSA’s most expensive program ever, with $5 billion to be spent over each of the next six years and at least $60 billion over the next 20 years. There should be consideration of how taxpayer resources would be better used to address urgent national security threats such as cleanup, adverse climate change, and global pandemics.

The AIM reflects that the State is putting in some additional requirements because DOE didn’t do what it agreed to.

Jan Boyer  815 Rio Vista Street, Santa Fe, NM  87501

Dear New Mexico Environment Department,

These comments are in addition to my comments filed earlier.

With the extended time to think about the proposed Permit Modifications I have deep concerns in relation to the NMED's proposed definition of Legacy wa...↓ste. I oppose that proposed definition and request a public hearing. I believe negotiations and if no agreement can be reached there, a public hearing is needed on this proposed Permit Modification.

As stated in my comments to NMED in December 2024, on the DOE's Legacy Waste Plan,

[AR 250615 at 131-132]:

"I urge NMED to re-write or require the DOE to rewrite parts of the Plan, so that the following provisions are clearly articulated and strictly enforced:

1. Legacy Waste must be defined as having been generated by 1999, when WIPP opened... "

I remain firm in that belief and I urge you to edit the proposed WIPP Permit Modification to utilize this definition throughout. Again from my December 2024 comments on the Legacy Waste Plan:

"WIPP was sold to New Mexicans as a pilot project, to clean up Cold War waste..."

Only a definition of Legacy waste as generated before 1999 reflects and maintains the original mission of WIPP and the promises made to the people of New Mexico. Any other definition of Legacy waste creates loopholes for the disposal of wastes from newly generated nuclear weapons production, and an unbridled expansion of WIPP well beyond its agreed upon operational life and currently permitted dimensions.

I applaud the many positive provisions in the proposed permit modification, including strict and enforceable timelines for the prioritization of removal and disposal of Legacy waste from LANL.

As proposed the Permit Modification recognizes the importance of and maintains continuing disposal of wastes from other generator sites while enforcing the prioritization of LANL wastes: an important provision in the 2023 Negotiated WIPP Permit Agreement. However it can do that without allowing other states to define Legacy waste in ways that could create confusion as to what wastes can and should be disposed in WIPP.

Finally I sincerely thank NMED leadership and staff for their efforts to protect the people and lands of New Mexico contained in this permit modification and the opportunity to comment on this proposed Permit Modification.

Gail Robin Seydel

2: (6/22) I support the main proposed changes the of the Draft Permit:

·     From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55% of the total volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator/storage sites must be LANL legacy waste.

·  ...↓   Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP, LANL legacy waste must be at least 75% of the total volume of waste emplaced from all generator/storage sites.

·     Legacy waste currently stored above-ground at LANL Material Disposal Area-G shall be shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028.

·     If at any point any of those conditions are not met, all generator/storage site shipments (with the exception of LANL) must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

·     An annual report, due by April 30 of each year, for each generator/storage site and for both legacy and non-legacy waste, shall detail information needed to demonstrate prioritization of LANL legacy waste and compliance with the requirements of this Permit section.

Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I believe it will be possible to get the above-ground waste out by July 1, 2028.

The AIM has no date for the buried waste to be gone. It just has requirements for the percentages of LANL legacy waste to go to WIPP on an annual basis. A date to determine what buried legacy waste that exists is needed. Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I suggest January 1, 2029 as the required date to have completed this below-ground inventory.

WIPP is not a jobs program. It will be in operation long after its original completion date of 2024 as promised to the people of the State of New Mexico. It is DOE itself that has been delaying work at WIPP by not funding WIPP adequately. DOE should be planning its next repository by now.

Pit production is NNSA’s most expensive program ever, with $5 billion to be spent over each of the next six years and at least $60 billion over the next 20 years. There should be consideration of how taxpayer resources would be better used to address urgent national security threats such as cleanup, adverse climate change, and global pandemics.

The AIM reflects that the State is putting in some additional requirements because DOE didn’t do what it agreed to.

Sincerely,

Kristin Ulibarri

Taos

Dear Ms. McLean,

On April 23, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a Draft Permit proposing to require a minimum percentage of legacy shipments in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (Permit). The per...↓centage comes as an agency-initiated modification (AIM). New Mexico Hazardous Waste Regulations provide for NMED to modify an existing permit for cause upon the receipt of information not available at the time of permit issuance. NMED has determined there is sufficient basis for the development of this agency-initiated modification that clarifies the priority to emplace legacy waste and reduces the risk of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) legacy waste during the current permit term.

These proposed changes that would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure that legacy transuranic waste shipments from Los Alamos are more than half (by volume) of the annual total legacy waste shipments from all other DOE sites. I strongly support these proposed changes.

DOE will likely claim that that they can not afford this, while spending $5B this year on nuclear weapons pit production at LANL Cleanup is part of the job. DOE has not done the job back to the the beginning of the Cold War. Plus, DOE plans to leave 1 million cubic meters of radioactive and hazardous waste buried in a seismic zone between a rift and a dormant supervolcano.

I support the main proposed changes the of the Draft Permit:

·     From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55% of the total volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator/storage sites must be LANL legacy waste.

·     Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP, LANL legacy waste must be at least 75% of the total volume of waste emplaced from all generator/storage sites.

·     Legacy waste currently stored above-ground at LANL Material Disposal Area-G shall be shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028.

·     If at any point any of those conditions are not met, all generator/storage site shipments (with the exception of LANL) must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

·     An annual report, due by April 30 of each year, for each generator/storage site and for both legacy and non-legacy waste, shall detail information needed to demonstrate prioritization of LANL legacy waste and compliance with the requirements of this Permit section.

I believe it will be possible to get the above-ground waste out by July 1, 2028.

The AIM has no date for the buried waste to be gone. It just has requirements for the percentages of LANL legacy waste to go to WIPP on an annual basis. A date to determine what buried legacy waste that exists is needed. Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I suggest January 1, 2029 as the required date to have completed this below-ground inventory.

WIPP is not a jobs program. It will be in operation long after its original completion date of 2024 as promised to the people of the State of New Mexico. It is DOE itself that has been delaying work at WIPP by not funding WIPP adequately. DOE should be planning its next repository by now.

Pit production is NNSA’s most expensive program ever, with $5 billion to be spent over each of the next six years and at least $60 billion over the next 20 years. There should be consideration of how taxpayer resources would be better used to address urgent national security threats such as cleanup, adverse climate change, and global pandemics.

The AIM reflects that the State is putting in some additional requirements because DOE didn’t do what it agreed to.

Sincerely,

Stephan Hewitt

Pahoa, HI

June 19, 2026

Megan McLean, WIPP Program Manager

Hazardous Waste Bureau - New Mexico Environment Department

2905 Rodeo Park Drive East, Building 1

Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505-6303

Comments On The New Mexico Environment Department Agency-Inititated Draft Ha...↓zardous Waste Facility Permit For The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Carlsbad, New Mexico

Dear Ms. McLean,

On April 23, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a Draft Permit proposing to require a minimum percentage of legacy shipments in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (Permit). The percentage comes as an agency-initiated modification (AIM). New Mexico Hazardous Waste Regulations provide for NMED to modify an existing permit for cause upon the receipt of information not available at the time of permit issuance. NMED has determined there is sufficient basis for the development of this agency-initiated modification that clarifies the priority to emplace legacy waste and reduces the risk of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) legacy waste during the current permit term.

These proposed changes that would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure that legacy transuranic waste shipments from Los Alamos are more than half (by volume) of the annual total legacy waste shipments from all other DOE sites. I strongly support these proposed changes.

DOE will likely claim that that they can not afford this, while spending $5B this year on nuclear weapons pit production at LANL Cleanup is part of the job. DOE has not done the job back to the the beginning of the Cold War. Plus, DOE plans to leave 1 million cubic meters of radioactive and hazardous waste buried in a seismic zone between a rift and a dormant supervolcano.

I support the main proposed changes the of the Draft Permit:

·     From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55% of the total volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator/storage sites must be LANL legacy waste.

·     Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP, LANL legacy waste must be at least 75% of the total volume of waste emplaced from all generator/storage sites.

·     Legacy waste currently stored above-ground at LANL Material Disposal Area-G shall be shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028.

·     If at any point any of those conditions are not met, all generator/storage site shipments (with the exception of LANL) must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

·     An annual report, due by April 30 of each year, for each generator/storage site and for both legacy and non-legacy waste, shall detail information needed to demonstrate prioritization of LANL legacy waste and compliance with the requirements of this Permit section.

I believe it will be possible to get the above-ground waste out by July 1, 2028.

The AIM has no date for the buried waste to be gone. It just has requirements for the percentages of LANL legacy waste to go to WIPP on an annual basis. A date to determine what buried legacy waste that exists is needed. Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I suggest January 1, 2029 as the required date to have completed this below-ground inventory.

WIPP is not a jobs program. It will be in operation long after its original completion date of 2024 as promised to the people of the State of New Mexico. It is DOE itself that has been delaying work at WIPP by not funding WIPP adequately. DOE should be planning its next repository by now.

Pit production is NNSA’s most expensive program ever, with $5 billion to be spent over each of the next six years and at least $60 billion over the next 20 years. There should be consideration of how taxpayer resources would be better used to address urgent national security threats such as cleanup, adverse climate change, and global pandemics.

The AIM reflects that the State is putting in some additional requirements because DOE didn’t do what it agreed to.

Sincerely,

Ross Ulibarri

Taos New Mexico

Good morning- Attached please find comments from the National Nuclear Security Administration, Sandia Field Office (NNSA/SFO) regarding the WIPP Administrative Initiated Modification by NMED.

NNSA/SFO respectfully requests a hearing on the proposed AI...↓M.

 We are EXTREMELY LUCKY that no radiation has yet been spread across New Mexico land by a wildfire reaching the legacy waste at LANL. NMED is trying to keep it that way by making a stronger permit and forcing DOE to abide by it, AND PRIORITZE MOVING ...↓THE WASTE immediately, which is what is needed to prevent nuclear disaster in the whole north central region of New Mexico surrounding LANL. Given time, a wildfire will reach the waste. We support NMED, and demand that DOE comply, and get the waste moved to WIPP!

To:  New Mexico Environment Department

I am writing to strongly support the New Mexico Environment Department’s modification of the LANL permit to expedite removal of legacy nuclear waste that is stored above ground so that it is moved to WIPP by July...↓ 1, 2028. I am a long-time resident of northern New Mexico, and DOE’s irresponsible storage of legacy waste threatens us all.

This dangerous waste, which was created in the 1950s, currently sits in 2,500 poorly marked drums in makeshift fabric tents in a known wildfire zone that has already experienced devastating wildfires. This waste must be moved to the WIPP where it can be safely stored underground. In fact, it should have been moved there decades ago, but DOE is not fulfilling its legal agreements.

DOE should not be allowed to produce nuclear weapons and waste in New Mexico while not addressing this legacy waste and the tremendous danger it poses to all New Mexicans.

A radiation release from a wildfire at the above-ground storage site would cause immeasurable damage, including death to countless people, potential cancers, and devasting effects on property values, agriculture, ranching, and recreation. The economic impacts from immediate and long-term contamination would be enormous.

Thank you, 

Patricia Sciarrotta

137 Principe de Paz

Santa Fe NM 87508

Dear NMED:

On April 23, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a Draft Permit proposing to require a minimum percentage of legacy shipments in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (Permit). The percentage...↓ comes as an agency-initiated modification (AIM). New Mexico Hazardous Waste Regulations provide for NMED to modify an existing permit for cause upon the receipt of information not available at the time of permit issuance. NMED has determined there is sufficient basis for the development of this agency-initiated modification that clarifies the priority to emplace legacy waste and reduces the risk of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) legacy waste during the current permit term.

These proposed changes that would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure that legacy transuranic waste shipments from Los Alamos are more than half (by volume) of the annual total legacy waste shipments from all other DOE sites. Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I strongly support[s] these proposed changes.

DOE will likely claim that that they can not afford this, while spending $5B this year on nuclear weapons pit production at LANL Cleanup is part of the job. DOE has not done the job back to the the beginning of the Cold War. Plus, DOE plans to leave 1 million cubic meters of radioactive and hazardous waste buried in a seismic zone between a rift and a dormant supervolcano.

Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I support[s] the main proposed changes the of the Draft Permit:

·     From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55% of the total volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator/storage sites must be LANL legacy waste.

·     Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP, LANL legacy waste must be at least 75% of the total volume of waste emplaced from all generator/storage sites.

·     Legacy waste currently stored above-ground at LANL Material Disposal Area-G shall be shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028.

·     If at any point any of those conditions are not met, all generator/storage site shipments (with the exception of LANL) must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

·     An annual report, due by April 30 of each year, for each generator/storage site and for both legacy and non-legacy waste, shall detail information needed to demonstrate prioritization of LANL legacy waste and compliance with the requirements of this Permit section.

Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I believe it will be possible to get the above-ground waste out by July 1, 2028.

The AIM has no date for the buried waste to be gone. It just has requirements for the percentages of LANL legacy waste to go to WIPP on an annual basis. A date to determine what buried legacy waste that exists is needed. Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I suggest January 1, 2029 as the required date to have completed this below-ground inventory.

WIPP is not a jobs program. It will be in operation long after its original completion date of 2024 as promised to the people of the State of New Mexico. It is DOE itself that has been delaying work at WIPP by not funding WIPP adequately. DOE should be planning its next repository by now.

Pit production is NNSA’s most expensive program ever, with $5 billion to be spent over each of the next six years and at least $60 billion over the next 20 years. There should be consideration of how taxpayer resources would be better used to address urgent national security threats such as cleanup, adverse climate change, and global pandemics.

The AIM reflects that the State is putting in some additional requirements because DOE didn’t do what it agreed to.

Sincerely,

Carol Sassaman

PO Box 305

Hanover, NM 88041

Dear New Mexico Environment Department,

My name is Gabriel Carrion-Gonzales, and I am a resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico. I support the primary proposed changes outlined in the Draft Permit, including:

• From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 203...↓1, at least 55% of the total volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator/storage sites must be LANL legacy waste.

• Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP, LANL legacy waste must comprise at least 75% of the total volume of waste emplaced from all generator/storage sites.

• Legacy waste currently stored above ground at LANL Material Disposal Area-G should be shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028.

• If any of these conditions are not met, shipments from all other generator/storage sites (except LANL) should cease until compliance is restored.

• Annual reports should continue to document compliance and demonstrate that LANL legacy waste remains the priority for disposal.

I believe it is both achievable and necessary to remove the above-ground legacy waste by July 1, 2028.

However, I am concerned that the Annual Inspection and Monitoring (AIM) requirements do not establish a clear deadline for identifying and addressing the buried legacy waste at LANL. While the AIM sets annual percentage requirements for shipping legacy waste to WIPP, it does not require completion of a comprehensive inventory of the remaining below-ground waste. I encourage the Department to establish a firm deadline—such as January 1, 2029—to complete this inventory so that meaningful planning, accountability, and cleanup can move forward.

WIPP was never intended to function as a perpetual jobs program. It has already remained in operation well beyond its originally anticipated completion date. Delays have largely resulted from insufficient federal funding and planning by the U.S. Department of Energy. The federal government should be investing in long-term waste management solutions while fulfilling its cleanup obligations here in New Mexico.

At the same time, the federal government's rapidly expanding plutonium pit production program represents one of its most expensive nuclear weapons investments, with billions of taxpayer dollars committed annually over the coming decades. These resources should also be weighed against pressing national priorities, including environmental cleanup, climate resilience, public health preparedness, and the protection of communities that have borne the impacts of nuclear activities for generations.

The proposed AIM revisions appropriately strengthen state oversight because the Department of Energy has not consistently fulfilled its prior commitments to the people of New Mexico. I appreciate the New Mexico Environment Department's efforts to ensure that cleanup of legacy waste remains the highest priority.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Gabriel Carrión-González

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Dear NM Environment,

My name is Row Särkelä and I am a resident of ABQ and a Princeton trained Civil Engineer MSE. I support the main proposed changes of the Draft Permit:

·     From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55% of the total ...↓volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator/storage sites must be LANL legacy waste.

·     Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP, LANL legacy waste must be at least 75% of the total volume of waste emplaced from all generator/storage sites.

·     Legacy waste currently stored above-ground at LANL Material Disposal Area-G shall be shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028.

·     If at any point any of those conditions are not met, all generator/storage site shipments (with the exception of LANL) must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

·     An annual report, due by April 30 of each year, for each generator/storage site and for both legacy and non-legacy waste, shall detail information needed to demonstrate prioritization of LANL legacy waste and compliance with the requirements of this Permit section.

I believe it will be possible to get the above-ground waste out by July 1, 2028.

The AIM has no date for the buried waste to be gone. It just has requirements for the percentages of LANL legacy waste to go to WIPP on an annual basis. A date to determine what buried legacy waste that exists is needed. I suggest January 1, 2029 as the required date to have completed this below-ground inventory.

WIPP is not a jobs program. It will be in operation long after its original completion date of 2024 as promised to the people of the State of New Mexico. It is DOE itself that has been delaying work at WIPP by not funding WIPP adequately. DOE should be planning its next repository by now.

Pit production is NNSA’s most expensive program ever, with $5 billion to be spent over each of the next six years and at least $60 billion over the next 20 years. There should be consideration of how taxpayer resources would be better used to address urgent national security threats such as cleanup, adverse climate change, and global pandemics.

The AIM reflects that the State is putting in some additional requirements because DOE didn’t do what it agreed to.

Sincerely,

Row Särkelä Bassett

Dear Deciders,  

Clean up the legacy waste first before making more.  You are reckless with lives and money. Where are the other waste sites that would allow WIPP to close down, not expand?  If I recall this was supposed to be a Pilot Project.    LANL...↓ alone has enough legacy waste waiting to be properly stored at WIPP to make the waste from all other DOE facilities impossible and dangerous for WIPP to accept.  DOE's job isn't to make more waste, it is responsible for doing what it promised to clean up the waste it created decades ago.  

It appears we are immersed in another war (or excursion if you wish to appease the demented fool in charge), and our weapons are being wasted and our stockpiles depleted.  It is apparent our weapons aren't all that effective anymore.  Warfare has changed as Ukraine has shown us; $10,000 drones not $5 billion plutonium pits.  Yes they are less costly to make so there isn't the obscene profit margin for the military industrial complex. Since the ultra wealthy and corporations don't pay much in taxes, where will that money come from?  Food, healthcare, education, research, infrastructure, etc. of course.  The DOE and DOD need to pay attention to factors other than ego and profits and catch up to modern warfare and technology if winning wars is their end goal.  Plutonium pits are yesterday's news.  Today drones and much smarter leaders than we have are winning wars. $5 billion  or $60 billion will go a long way to solve a lot of problems and benefit hundreds of millions of people. We are losing our country to demented fools and alcoholics who pound their chests like primitive apes. The whole world is watching and many are watching us like vultures ready to swoop in and take over.

Be smart, be best, be human,

Therese Patton

NM resident since 1979

87710

Hello, 

The proposed changes that would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure that legacy transuranic waste shipments from Los Alamos are more than half (by volume) of the annual total legacy waste shipments from all other DOE sites. I stro...↓ngly support[s] these proposed changes.

I support the main proposed changes of the Draft Permit:

·     From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55% of the total volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator/storage sites must be LANL legacy waste.

·     Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP, LANL legacy waste must be at least 75% of the total volume of waste emplaced from all generator/storage sites.

·     Legacy waste currently stored above-ground at LANL Material Disposal Area-G shall be shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028.

·     If at any point any of those conditions are not met, all generator/storage site shipments (with the exception of LANL) must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

·     An annual report, due by April 30 of each year, for each generator/storage site and for both legacy and non-legacy waste, shall detail information needed to demonstrate prioritization of LANL legacy waste and compliance with the requirements of this Permit section.

I believe it will be possible to get the above-ground waste out by July 1, 2028.

The AIM has no date for the buried waste to be gone. It just has requirements for the percentages of LANL legacy waste to go to WIPP on an annual basis. A date to determine what buried legacy waste that exists is needed. I suggest January 1, 2029 as the required date to have completed this below-ground inventory.

The AIM reflects that the State is putting in some additional requirements because DOE didn’t do what it agreed to.

Sincerely,

Catherine Broadbent

Santa Fe, NM

Comments On The New Mexico Environment Department Agency-Inititated Draft Hazardous Waste Facility Permit For The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Carlsbad, New Mexico

Dear Ms. McLean,

On April 23, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a Dra...↓ft Permit proposing to require a minimum percentage of legacy shipments in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (Permit). The percentage comes as an agency-initiated modification (AIM). New Mexico Hazardous Waste Regulations provide for NMED to modify an existing permit for cause upon the receipt of information not available at the time of permit issuance. NMED has determined there is sufficient basis for the development of this agency-initiated modification that clarifies the priority to emplace legacy waste and reduces the risk of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) legacy waste during the current permit term.

These proposed changes that would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure that legacy transuranic waste shipments from Los Alamos are more than half (by volume) of the annual total legacy waste shipments from all other DOE sites. I strongly support these proposed changes.

DOE will likely claim that that they can not afford this, while spending $5B this year on nuclear weapons pit production at LANL Cleanup is part of the job. DOE has not done the job back to the the beginning of the Cold War. Plus, DOE plans to leave 1 million cubic meters of radioactive and hazardous waste buried in a seismic zone between a rift and a dormant supervolcano.

I support the main proposed changes the of the Draft Permit:

·     From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55% of the total volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator/storage sites must be LANL legacy waste.

·     Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP, LANL legacy waste must be at least 75% of the total volume of waste emplaced from all generator/storage sites.

·     Legacy waste currently stored above-ground at LANL Material Disposal Area-G shall be shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028.

·     If at any point any of those conditions are not met, all generator/storage site shipments (with the exception of LANL) must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

·     An annual report, due by April 30 of each year, for each generator/storage site and for both legacy and non-legacy waste, shall detail information needed to demonstrate prioritization of LANL legacy waste and compliance with the requirements of this Permit section.

I believe it will be possible to get the above-ground waste out by July 1, 2028.

The AIM has no date for the buried waste to be gone. It just has requirements for the percentages of LANL legacy waste to go to WIPP on an annual basis. A date to determine what buried legacy waste that exists is needed. Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I suggest January 1, 2029 as the required date to have completed this below-ground inventory.

WIPP is not a jobs program. It will be in operation long after its original completion date of 2024 as promised to the people of the State of New Mexico. It is DOE itself that has been delaying work at WIPP by not funding WIPP adequately. DOE should be planning its next repository by now.

Pit production is NNSA’s most expensive program ever, with $5 billion to be spent over each of the next six years and at least $60 billion over the next 20 years. There should be consideration of how taxpayer resources would be better used to address urgent national security threats such as cleanup, adverse climate change, and global pandemics.

The AIM reflects that the State is putting in some additional requirements because DOE didn’t do what it agreed to.

Sincerely,

Kay Matthews

Chamisal, NM

On April 23, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a Draft Permit proposing to require a minimum percentage of legacy shipments in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (Permit). The percentage comes as ...↓an agency-initiated modification (AIM). New Mexico Hazardous Waste Regulations provide for NMED to modify an existing permit for cause upon the receipt of information not available at the time of permit issuance. NMED has determined there is sufficient basis for the development of this agency-initiated modification that clarifies the priority to emplace legacy waste and reduces the risk of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) legacy waste during the current permit term.

These proposed changes that would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure that legacy transuranic waste shipments from Los Alamos are more than half (by volume) of the annual total legacy waste shipments from all other DOE sites. Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I strongly support[s] these proposed changes.

DOE will likely claim that they can not afford this, but spending $5B this year on nuclear weapons pit production at LANL Cleanup is part of the job. DOE has not done the job since the beginning of the Cold War. Plus, DOE plans to leave 1 million cubic meters of radioactive and hazardous waste buried in a seismic zone between a rift and a dormant supervolcano.

Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I support[s] the main proposed changes the of the Draft Permit:

·     From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55% of the total volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator/storage sites must be LANL legacy waste.

·     Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP, LANL legacy waste must be at least 75% of the total volume of waste emplaced from all generator/storage sites.

·     Legacy waste currently stored above-ground at LANL Material Disposal Area-G shall be shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028.

·     If at any point any of those conditions are not met, all generator/storage site shipments (with the exception of LANL) must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

·     An annual report, due by April 30 of each year, for each generator/storage site and for both legacy and non-legacy waste, shall detail information needed to demonstrate prioritization of LANL legacy waste and compliance with the requirements of this Permit section.

Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I believe it will be possible to get the above-ground waste out by July 1, 2028.

The AIM has no date for the buried waste to be gone. It just has requirements for the percentages of LANL legacy waste to go to WIPP on an annual basis. A date to determine what buried legacy waste exists is needed. Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I suggest January 1, 2029 as the required date to have completed this below-ground inventory.

WIPP is not a jobs program. It will be in operation long after its original completion date of 2024 as promised to the people of the State of New Mexico. It is DOE itself that has been delaying work at WIPP by not funding WIPP adequately. DOE should be planning its next repository by now.

Pit production is NNSA’s most expensive program ever, with $5 billion to be spent over each of the next six years and at least $60 billion over the next 20 years. Consideration should be given to how taxpayer resources would be better used to address urgent national security threats such as cleanup, adverse climate change, and global pandemics.

The AIM reflects that the State is imposing additional requirements because DOE didn’t do what it agreed to.

Sincerely,

Dan Rusk

Lagrange, IL

June 19, 2026

Megan McLean, WIPP Program Manager

Hazardous Waste Bureau - New Mexico Environment Department

2905 Rodeo Park Drive East, Building 1

Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505-6303

Comments On The New Mexico Environment Department Agency-Initiated Draft

Haza...↓rdous Waste Facility Permit For The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Carlsbad, New

Mexico

Dear Ms. McLean,

On April 23, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a Draft Permit

proposing to require a minimum percentage of legacy shipments in the Waste Isolation Pilot

Plant (WIPP) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (Permit). The percentage comes as an agency initiated

modification (AIM). New Mexico Hazardous Waste Regulations provide for NMED to

modify an existing permit for cause upon the receipt of information not available at the time of

permit issuance. NMED has determined there is sufficient basis for the development of this

agency-initiated modification that clarifies the priority to emplace legacy waste and reduces the

risk of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) legacy waste during the current permit term.

These proposed changes that would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure that

legacy transuranic waste shipments from Los Alamos are more than half (by volume) of the

annual total legacy waste shipments from all other DOE sites. I strongly support these proposed

changes.

DOE will likely claim that that they can not afford this, while spending $5B this year on nuclear

weapons pit production at LANL Cleanup is part of the job. DOE has not done the job back to

the beginning of the Cold War. Plus, DOE plans to leave 1 million cubic meters of

radioactive and hazardous waste buried in a seismic zone between a rift and a dormant

supervolcano.

I support the main proposed changes the of the Draft Permit:

From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55% of the total volume of all

waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator/storage sites must be LANL legacy waste.

Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP,

LANL legacy waste must be at least 75% of the total volume of waste emplaced from all

generator/storage sites.

Legacy waste currently stored above-ground at LANL Material Disposal Area-G shall be

shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028.

lf at any point any of those conditions are not met, all generator/storage site shipments

(with the exception of LANL) must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

An annual report, due by April 30 of each year, for each generator/storage site and for both

legacy and non-legacy waste, shall detail information needed to demonstrate prioritization of

LANL legacy waste and compliance with the requirements of this Permit section.

I believe it will be possible to get the above-ground waste out by July 1, 2028.

The AIM has no date for the buried waste to be gone. It just has requirements for the percentages

of LANL legacy waste to go to WIPP on an annual basis. A date to determine what buried legacy

waste that exists is needed. Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I suggest January 1, 2029 as the required

date to have completed this below-ground inventory.

WIPP is not a jobs program. It will be in operation long after its original completion date of 2024

as promised to the people of the State of New Mexico. It is DOE itself that has been delaying

work at WIPP by not funding WIPP adequately. DOE should be planning its next repository by

now.

Pit production is NNSA's most expensive program ever, with $5 billion to be spent over each of

the next six years and at least $60 billion over the next 20 years. There should be consideration

of how taxpayer resources would be better used to address urgent national security threats such

as cleanup, adverse climate change, and global pandemics.

The AIM reflects that the State is putting in some additional requirements because DOE didn't

do what it agreed to.

Sincerely,

(NOTE: Any Information here could become public)

P(Jam*+-

Comments On The New Mexico Environment Department Agency-Inititated Draft Hazardous Waste Facility Permit For The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Carlsbad, New Mexico

Dear Ms. McLean,

On April 23, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a Draft...↓ Permit proposing to require a minimum percentage of legacy shipments in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (Permit). The percentage comes as an agency-initiated modification (AIM). New Mexico Hazardous Waste Regulations provide for NMED to modify an existing permit for cause upon the receipt of information not available at the time of permit issuance. NMED has determined there is sufficient basis for the development of this agency-initiated modification that clarifies the priority to emplace legacy waste and reduces the risk of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) legacy waste during the current permit term.

These proposed changes that would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure that legacy transuranic waste shipments from Los Alamos are more than half (by volume) of the annual total legacy waste shipments from all other DOE sites. I strongly support these proposed changes.

DOE will likely claim that that they can not afford this, while spending $5B this year on nuclear weapons pit production at LANL Cleanup is part of the job. DOE has not done the job back to the the beginning of the Cold War. Plus, DOE plans to leave 1 million cubic meters of radioactive and hazardous waste buried in a seismic zone between a rift and a dormant supervolcano.

I support the main proposed changes the of the Draft Permit:

·     From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55% of the total volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator/storage sites must be LANL legacy waste.

·     Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP, LANL legacy waste must be at least 75% of the total volume of waste emplaced from all generator/storage sites.

·     Legacy waste currently stored above-ground at LANL Material Disposal Area-G shall be shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028.

·     If at any point any of those conditions are not met, all generator/storage site shipments (with the exception of LANL) must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

·     An annual report, due by April 30 of each year, for each generator/storage site and for both legacy and non-legacy waste, shall detail information needed to demonstrate prioritization of LANL legacy waste and compliance with the requirements of this Permit section.

I believe it will be possible to get the above-ground waste out by July 1, 2028.

The AIM has no date for the buried waste to be gone. It just has requirements for the percentages of LANL legacy waste to go to WIPP on an annual basis. A date to determine what buried legacy waste that exists is needed. Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I suggest January 1, 2029 as the required date to have completed this below-ground inventory.

WIPP is not a jobs program. It will be in operation long after its original completion date of 2024 as promised to the people of the State of New Mexico. It is DOE itself that has been delaying work at WIPP by not funding WIPP adequately. DOE should be planning its next repository by now.

Pit production is NNSA’s most expensive program ever, with $5 billion to be spent over each of the next six years and at least $60 billion over the next 20 years. There should be consideration of how taxpayer resources would be better used to address urgent national security threats such as cleanup, adverse climate change, and global pandemics.

The AIM reflects that the State is putting in some additional requirements because DOE didn’t do what it agreed to.

Sincerely,

Terry Vollmer  

St. Louis  MO

On April 23, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a Draft Permit proposing to require a minimum percentage of legacy shipments in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (Permit). The percentage comes as ...↓an agency-initiated modification (AIM). New Mexico Hazardous Waste Regulations provide for NMED to modify an existing permit for cause upon the receipt of information not available at the time of permit issuance. NMED has determined there is sufficient basis for the development of this agency-initiated modification that clarifies the priority to emplace legacy waste and reduces the risk of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) legacy waste during the current permit term.

These proposed changes that would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure that legacy transuranic waste shipments from Los Alamos are more than half (by volume) of the annual total legacy waste shipments from all other DOE sites. Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I strongly support[s] these proposed changes.

DOE will likely claim that that they can not afford this, while spending $5B this year on nuclear weapons pit production at LANL Cleanup is part of the job. DOE has not done the job back to the the beginning of the Cold War. Plus, DOE plans to leave 1 million cubic meters of radioactive and hazardous waste buried in a seismic zone between a rift and a dormant supervolcano.

I support[s] the main proposed changes the of the Draft Permit:

·     From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55% of the total volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator/storage sites must be LANL legacy waste.

·     Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP, LANL legacy waste must be at least 75% of the total volume of waste emplaced from all generator/storage sites.

·     Legacy waste currently stored above-ground at LANL Material Disposal Area-G shall be shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028.

·     If at any point any of those conditions are not met, all generator/storage site shipments (with the exception of LANL) must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

·     An annual report, due by April 30 of each year, for each generator/storage site and for both legacy and non-legacy waste, shall detail information needed to demonstrate prioritization of LANL legacy waste and compliance with the requirements of this Permit section.

I believe it will be possible to get the above-ground waste out by July 1, 2028.

The AIM has no date for the buried waste to be gone. It just has requirements for the percentages of LANL legacy waste to go to WIPP on an annual basis. A date to determine what buried legacy waste that exists is needed. I suggest January 1, 2029 as the required date to have completed this below-ground inventory.

WIPP is not a jobs program. It will be in operation long after its original completion date of 2024 as promised to the people of the State of New Mexico. It is DOE itself that has been delaying work at WIPP by not funding WIPP adequately. DOE should be planning its next repository by now.

Pit production is NNSA’s most expensive program ever, with $5 billion to be spent over each of the next six years and at least $60 billion over the next 20 years. There should be consideration of how taxpayer resources would be better used to address urgent national security threats such as cleanup, adverse climate change, and global pandemics.

The AIM reflects that the State is putting in some additional requirements because DOE didn’t do what it agreed to.

Peter Bauer

6530 Tahawash

Cochiti Lake, N.M. 87083

June 19, 2026

Megan McLean, WIPP Program Manager

Hazardous Waste Bureau - New Mexico Environment Department

2905 Rodeo Park Drive East, Building 1

Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505-6303

Comments On The New Mexico Environment Department Agency-Inititated Draft Ha...↓zardous Waste Facility Permit For The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Carlsbad, New Mexico

Dear Ms. McLean,

I support all of the main proposed changes to the subject Draft Permit:

1. From January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, at least 55% of the total volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP from all generator/storage sites must be LANL legacy waste.

2. Beginning January 1, 2032, and until all LANL legacy waste has been emplaced at WIPP, LANL legacy waste must be at least 75% of the total volume of waste emplaced from all generator/storage sites.

3. Legacy waste currently stored above-ground at LANL Material Disposal Area-G shall be shipped and emplaced at WIPP by July 1, 2028.

4. If at any point any of those conditions are not met, all generator/storage site shipments (with the exception of LANL) must cease until all deficiencies are cured.

5. An annual report, due by April 30 of each year, for each generator/storage site and for both legacy and non-legacy waste, shall detail information needed to demonstrate prioritization of LANL legacy waste and compliance with the requirements of this Permit section.

The goal is to get all of the above-ground waste out of LANL and into WIPP by July 1, 2028.  And then to remove all of the below-ground waste.

DOE/NNSA has made promises and commitments to remove ALL legacy waste from the LANL site that is related to nuclear operations including radioactive material, toxic chemicals, heavy metals, etc.  They must not be allowed to renege on these commitments.  Public health is at stake.  There are strong likelihoods of accidents, aquifer contamination, and air pollution if this legacy waste is left in place.

Sincerely,

Chris Kemper

Lamy, NM

On April 23, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a Draft Permit proposing to require a minimum percentage of legacy shipments in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (Permit). The percentage comes as ...↓an agency-initiated modification (AIM). New Mexico Hazardous Waste Regulations provide for NMED to modify an existing permit for cause upon the receipt of information not available at the time of permit issuance. NMED has determined there is sufficient basis for the development of this agency-initiated modification that clarifies the priority to emplace legacy waste and reduces the risk of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) legacy waste during the current permit term.

These proposed changes that would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure that legacy transuranic waste shipments from Los Alamos are more than half (by volume) of the annual total legacy waste shipments from all other DOE sites. Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I strongly support[s] these proposed changes.

I believe it will be possible to get the above-ground waste out by July 1, 2028.

The AIM has no date for the buried waste to be gone. It just has requirements for the percentages of LANL legacy waste to go to WIPP on an annual basis. A date to determine what buried legacy waste that exists is needed. Nuclear Watch New Mexico/I suggest January 1, 2029 as the required date to have completed this below-ground inventory.

WIPP is not a jobs program. It will be in operation long after its original completion date of 2024 as promised to the people of the State of New Mexico. It is DOE itself that has been delaying work at WIPP by not funding WIPP adequately. DOE should be planning its next repository by now.

Pit production is NNSA’s most expensive program ever, with $5 billion to be spent over each of the next six years and at least $60 billion over the next 20 years. There should be consideration of how taxpayer resources would be better used to address urgent national security threats such as cleanup, adverse climate change, and global pandemics.

The AIM reflects that the State is putting in some additional requirements because DOE didn’t do what it agreed to.

Sincerely,

Kristin Ulibarri

Taos, NM

To whom it may concern:

I strongly support the agency-initiated modifications proposed by the New Mexico Environment Department in the draft permit issued on April 23 this year.  They would amend the current Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Hazardous Waste...↓ Facility Permit to require the federal government to take responsibility for the hazardous materials that it produces now or in the future, and that it produced in the past, at its Los Alamos facilities.

In addition to the amendments proposed by NMED, I consider it important to require a determination of the amount of waste stored underground at the Los Alamos site and to set a date by which it must be removed to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Hallgarth

P.O. Box 252

10675 Highway 152

Hillsboro, NM 88042

Dear Megan McLean,

As manager of the WIPP Program you are certainly well aware of the current predicament  regarding the clean up of LANL.

The legacy wastes have not been satisfactorily cleaned up, and now they want to produce way more nuclear waste an...↓d there is scant safe place to put it. I support the NMED proposal to make a modification to increase the % of legacy waste shipped in the WIPP to be at least 55% of the total volume of all waste emplaced at WIPP between 1/2027 and 12/2031, and specifically removing the legacy  waste stored at LANL Material Disposal Area G by 6/2028.

New Mexico doesn’t want to be a toxic waste dump. We must clean up as we go or stop generating radioactive waste until we can safely  clean up what we have damaged already.

Sincerely,

Lucy Smith

Santa Fe, NM

I am writing in support of the WIPP agency initiated modification being submitted by the NMED. It is time to get legacy waste out of Los Alamos and into the ground. I live in Santa Fe and dread the thought of having to evacuate from a fire finally re...↓aching the containers. and making our beautiful city and northern New Mexico uninhabitable.  

I tried submitting this form through the online portal and it did not work so I hope it reaches you all through email. 

Thank you for your time on this issue.

Best,

Melody Van Hoose

Dear NMED,

As a Franciscan Sister, working and living in New Mexico for decades with communities it is very important that we care for our communities health and safety. We are already a state sacrifice zone.  Nuclear waste has already been stored in ...↓extremely vulnerable ways for far too long. The WIPP site was to be a place for the waste from LANL to protect New Mexicans, as much as possible. 

I support the New Mexico Environment Department sanctioning the Department of Energy if the agency does not make cleaning up Los Alamos Labs a priority, including stopping shipments to WIPP from other states.

Sister Joan Brown, osf