The first load of nuclear waste arrives Friday, March 26, 1999, at 4 a.m. to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site in Carlsbad, N.M., from Los Alamos National Laboratory. (AP Photo/Thomas Herbert)
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Updated: Thursday, 05 Nov 2009, 2:50 PM MST
Published : Thursday, 05 Nov 2009, 2:50 PM MST
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) - The federal government's nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico has received its 8,000th shipment of transuranic waste.
The shipment arrived at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant late Wednesday. It came from Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The manager of the U.S. Department of Energy's Carlsbad Field Office, Dave Moody, says reaching this milestone is a testament to the department's commitment to cleaning up and reducing the nation's nuclear waste footprint.
Officials say that hours after the 8,000th shipment rolled in, WIPP received its 300th shipment of remote-handled transuranic waste from the Vallecitos Nuclear Center in California.
The waste consists of tools, rags, protective clothing, sludge, soil and other materials contaminated with radioactive elements.
Comments that are derogatory, attack other users, offer unsubstantiated facts, use foul language or are offensive in nature can and will be removed as defined by the Terms of Service. KRQE is not responsible for the content posted in this comment section. We reserve the right to remove any offensive or off-topic remark or thread. To mark a comment for review by a moderator, click "Report."
Email This
Print This
View Story on a Single Page