Pete Domenici: “I rise to share some news with my Senate colleagues. And even though my subject involves radioactive waste, I'm most…”

“I rise to share some news with my Senate colleagues. And even though my subject involves radioactive waste, I'm most pleased to report that this is all good news. As a Nation, we haven't made great progress on disposal of radioactive wastes, Yucca Mountain was supposed to open in 1998--now it might open in 2010 if it progresses at the most optimistic rate. But in New Mexico, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in the city of Carlsbad opened for disposal operations in March of 1999. WIPP is the nation's first repository for the permanent disposal of defense-generated radioactive waste left from the research and production of nuclear weapons. WIPP represents the single most dramatic advance this Nation has made in disposal of radioactive waste. In fact, WIPP is a showcase facility for the entire world for demonstrating that mankind can safely remove complex wastes from any impact on our environment. WIPP accepts a particular kind of waste, transuranic or TRU waste, that is contaminated with certain elements, especially plutonium. This type of waste must be handled with great care to ensure safety of the public and workers. WIPP represents a cornerstone of DOE's national cleanup effort dealing with the nation's nuclear weapons complex. Today, I want to announce that WIPP has filled their first underground room to full capacity. This is no small achievement. That room now holds over 10,000 drums of TRU waste.”