DOE Seeks EPA Permission to Operate Panels 11 and 12 in the WIPP Underground

On March 12^th, the Department of Energy (DOE) submitted its Planned Change Request (PCR) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use new Panels 11 and 12 in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) underground nuclear waste facility. The Planned Change Request also outlines the plans for seven additional panels for waste from expanded plutonium pit production at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina and the disposition of 34 metric tons of surplus plutonium from that site. https://www.epa.gov/radiation/wipp-news#WIPP-PCR

The WIPP plan that EPA approved in 1998 provided that all waste would be disposed in the existing eight panels by no later than 2033. EPA needs to fully understand DOE’s new plans for a much larger underground area, for large amounts of waste not included in the original approval, and for the facility to operate for many more decades.

So far EPA has sent three sets of questions. They ask about the geologic setting for all nine of the additional panels. EPA also asked about the solubility of plutonium in the underground, the chemical changes that can result in the underground where waste drums may come in contact with brine, etc. EPA also detailed DOE’s omissions of key reports and data. It is anticipated that EPA will have further questions as its review moves forward. https://www.epa.gov/radiation/wipp-news#WIPP-PCR , scroll down to “Update: [EPA] Comments/Questions for DOE on the PCR.”

DOE states that Panels 11 and 12 are “replacement” panels for the underground disposal space that is no longer available due to the February 14, 2014 explosion of one or more LANL drums. The drums were packaged with the wrong kind of kitty litter that is used to absorb small amounts of liquids in the waste. WIPP was closed for three years at a cost of at least one billion dollars.

The proposed panels are all part of DOE’s plan to keep WIPP open forever, or until 2083 at the earliest.

DOE’s cover letter to EPA states: “The timing for the need of additional panels, beyond replacement Panels 11 and 12, will require further analyses. The DOE will submit a separate [Planned Change Request] for additional panels, when further analyses are completed and a future request is finalized.” https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-03/24-0168-wipp-pcr-panels-letter-enclosures.pdf, p. 3 of the pdf.

To learn more about the magnitude of these issues, please visit EPA’s WIPP News at https://www.epa.gov/radiation/wipp-news

EPA plans to hold public meetings in New Mexico in late summer to discuss DOE’s request. To learn more and to sign up to receive information from the Stop Forever WIPP Coalition, go to https://stopforeverwipp.org/

Thursday, May 16 and Friday, May 17^th – Message from Defend New Mexico Water:

We have two more days left of the Water Quality Control Commission Wastewater Reuse hearing and we are asking folks to comment if you have yet to share your voice! You have four more opportunities, either in person (NM STATE CAPITAL, 411 South Capitol St., Room 317) or online via WebEx, at 9 am and 1 pm Thursday and Friday this week.

We are also asking folks to sign and share our petition about the rule!

We need more voices, as we see oil and gas organize for greater numbers for public comment. We hope you all continue the united front to protect our water and share this information with your organizational networks!

HEARING OVERVIEW

THE PUBLIC CAN PARTICIPATE IN-PERSON OR ONLINE
IN-PERSON LOCATION: NM STATE CAPITAL, (411 South Capitol St.), Room 317
VIRTUAL HEARING LINK on Webex: Bit.ly/WQCC23-84-Hearing

- The public comment sessions for Thursday and Friday will be 9AM and 1PM; please email Pamela Jones at jones@env.nm.gov
- Public comment is 3 minutes per person
- Folks can submit as many written comments as they’d like before the end of the hearing but may only give one oral testimony.

Talking Point Links:

- Defend NM Water Talking Points
- FAQ for more details.
- Defend NM Water Website

Friday, May 17^th through Sunday, May 19^th – Free screenings of the documentary, First We Bombed New Mexico.

To receive access, visit watch.showandtell.film/watch/firstwebombednm.

For more information: firstwebombednewmexico.com.

Friday, May 17^th, 2024 from noon to 1 pm MT – Join the weekly peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament on the four corners of Alameda and Sandoval in downtown Santa Fe with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, Pax Christi and others.

Monday, May 20^th – PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD EXTENDED TO THURSDAY, JUNE 20^th^,2024 – to EPA about its proposed rule allowing open burning / open detonation of hazardous wastes. Use Earthjustice’s Action Alert to Ban the Practice of Open Burning and Open Detonation of Hazardous Wastes at: https://earthjustice.org/action/ban-the-practice-of-open-burning-and-open-detonation-of-hazardous-wastes

See the May 2^nd Update for more information: http://nuclearactive.org/public-comments-needed-to-ban-open-burning-and-open-detonation-of-pfas-toxic-and-carcinogenic-explosive-materials/

Wednesday, May 22^nd at 1 pm MDT webinar – Join DOE’s Consent-Based Siting Consortia for a Public Roundtable on Successes in Siting one or more federal consolidated interim storage facilities for commercial spent nuclear fuel. To register: https://pnnl.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_yP30QO6WTLqHjSJw-Kifqw?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#/registration

Submit your questions prior to the meeting: consentbasedsiting@hq.doe.gov

From DOE’s May 1, 2024 post: DOE Releases Interactive Tool for Audiences Wishing to Learn More About DOE’s Plans to Manage Spent Nuclear Fuel StoryMap to help communities evaluate interest and suitability in being considered as a potential host for a federal consolidated interim storage facility for commercial spent nuclear fuel.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released an interactive StoryMap for audiences wishing to learn more about federal consolidated interim storage of commercial spent nuclear fuel.

The “Integrated Waste Management (IWM) StoryMap: Consent-Based Siting for Consolidated Interim Storage,” is a free, easy-to-access tool on DOE’s approach to identifying one or more locations for siting facilities to store spent nuclear fuel on an interim basis. It details DOE’s concept for an integrated waste management system, federal consolidated interim storage design and operations, potential benefits and impacts, among other topics.

Submit your questions prior to the meeting: consentbasedsiting@hq.doe.gov

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released an interactive StoryMap for audiences wishing to learn more about federal consolidated interim storage of commercial spent nuclear fuel.

Sunday, May 26^th – The Vow from Hiroshima documentary will air on PBS across the United States and on The World Channel nationwide. The film highlights the life and legacy of Setsuko Thurlow, a hibakusha from the U.S. bombings of Hiroshima on August 6^th, 1945. https://www.thevowfromhiroshima.com/

June 17^th to 24th – Global Week of Action – No Money for Nuclear Weapons, by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Join the efforts to push back against the unacceptable squandering of vast sums of money on weapons of mass destruction ($82.9 billion in 2022). https://www.icanw.org/global_week_of_action_on_nuclear_spending

Tags: Department of Energy, DOE, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, EPA’s WIPP News, February 14 2014 explosion, LANL, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Panels 11 and 12, PCR, Planned Change Request, replacement panels, Savannah River Site, separate Planned Change Request for additional panels, STOP FOREVER WIPP, surplus plutonium, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, WIPP

DOE Seeks EPA Permission to Operate Panels 11 and 12 in the WIPP Underground

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