Post by Ex_Nuke_Troop on May 10, 2014 18:30:04 GMT
Current-Argus : WIPP: NM Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn calls for immediate closure of waste panels
By Zack Ponce
zponce@currentargus.com @zackponce12 on Twitter
POSTED: 05/09/2014 07:32:01 AM MDT
CARLSBAD >> Eighty-four days have passed since the February radiation leak at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and community leaders in Carlsbad and New Mexico government officials have begun to reveal their irritations.
New Mexico Environment Department Secretary Ryan Flynn capped the weekly WIPP town hall with a fiery speech about the Department of Energy's latest theory of what caused the Feb. 14 accident in Panel 7 of the underground nuclear waste facility located 26 miles east of Carlsbad. Flynn called for the immediate closure of all waste panels except Panel 7 at WIPP, as well as complete public transparency.
"I agree that these panels need to be closed and they need to be closed immediately," Flynn said.
Seven panels have been mined underground at WIPP for nuclear waste storage and three of them remain opened, including Panel 7 where the DOE believes the radiation leak originated. According to the contractual obligations, DOE must now close all open panels where the radiation leak is not suspected to have occurred.
The DOE halted shipments of nuclear waste containers from Los Alamos National Laboratory to the Waste Control Specialists private facility in Andrews County, Texas last week after investigators narrowed the likely cause to the waste makeup from LANL.
Nuclear Waste Partnership Recovery Manager Jim Blankenhorn announced on Thursday that WIPP officials believe the radiation leak was likely caused by nuclear waste that contained nitrate salt which gave off some sort of a chemical reaction.
The waste with nitrate salt matched waste stored in drums that originated from three separate waste streams: two of the waste streams originated from LANL and the source of the other was unknown because DOE and NWP refused to name the source. WIPP has stored waste streams from LANL, Savannah River, and Idaho National Laboratory in the past.
"I'd rather not say the other one at this point and cause a lot of flurry," Blankenhorn said. "Its not that it's a big secret, but from a management perspective, I don't want to cause a lot of angst."
Flynn grilled DOE and NWP for not disclosing the other waste stream and continuing to not be forthright with the public.
"Mr. Blankenhorn identifies the waste stream, but then refuses to answer the question If you have information, then you need to disclose information with the public immediately," Flynn said.
Flynn also cautioned the public and government agencies to be more careful in its dissemination of information because of the dangers of spreading false rumors. He called a rumor that the state Environment Department was working to loosen the restrictions on WIPP "a lie."
"Our only mission is to protect the environment," Flynn said. "We did withdraw the draft permit to address several panels but that was in no way an attempt to weaken safety performance."
Reporter Zack Ponce can be reached at (575) 689-7402.
An earlier version of the story used the wrong terminology for the waste streams.
www.currentargus.com/carlsbad-news/ci_25729464/flynn-calls-immediate-closure-waste-panels-tranparency
By Zack Ponce
zponce@currentargus.com @zackponce12 on Twitter
POSTED: 05/09/2014 07:32:01 AM MDT
CARLSBAD >> Eighty-four days have passed since the February radiation leak at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and community leaders in Carlsbad and New Mexico government officials have begun to reveal their irritations.
New Mexico Environment Department Secretary Ryan Flynn capped the weekly WIPP town hall with a fiery speech about the Department of Energy's latest theory of what caused the Feb. 14 accident in Panel 7 of the underground nuclear waste facility located 26 miles east of Carlsbad. Flynn called for the immediate closure of all waste panels except Panel 7 at WIPP, as well as complete public transparency.
"I agree that these panels need to be closed and they need to be closed immediately," Flynn said.
Seven panels have been mined underground at WIPP for nuclear waste storage and three of them remain opened, including Panel 7 where the DOE believes the radiation leak originated. According to the contractual obligations, DOE must now close all open panels where the radiation leak is not suspected to have occurred.
The DOE halted shipments of nuclear waste containers from Los Alamos National Laboratory to the Waste Control Specialists private facility in Andrews County, Texas last week after investigators narrowed the likely cause to the waste makeup from LANL.
Nuclear Waste Partnership Recovery Manager Jim Blankenhorn announced on Thursday that WIPP officials believe the radiation leak was likely caused by nuclear waste that contained nitrate salt which gave off some sort of a chemical reaction.
The waste with nitrate salt matched waste stored in drums that originated from three separate waste streams: two of the waste streams originated from LANL and the source of the other was unknown because DOE and NWP refused to name the source. WIPP has stored waste streams from LANL, Savannah River, and Idaho National Laboratory in the past.
"I'd rather not say the other one at this point and cause a lot of flurry," Blankenhorn said. "Its not that it's a big secret, but from a management perspective, I don't want to cause a lot of angst."
Flynn grilled DOE and NWP for not disclosing the other waste stream and continuing to not be forthright with the public.
"Mr. Blankenhorn identifies the waste stream, but then refuses to answer the question If you have information, then you need to disclose information with the public immediately," Flynn said.
Flynn also cautioned the public and government agencies to be more careful in its dissemination of information because of the dangers of spreading false rumors. He called a rumor that the state Environment Department was working to loosen the restrictions on WIPP "a lie."
"Our only mission is to protect the environment," Flynn said. "We did withdraw the draft permit to address several panels but that was in no way an attempt to weaken safety performance."
Reporter Zack Ponce can be reached at (575) 689-7402.
An earlier version of the story used the wrong terminology for the waste streams.
www.currentargus.com/carlsbad-news/ci_25729464/flynn-calls-immediate-closure-waste-panels-tranparency