Troubled New Mexico nuclear dump moves towards reopening
Source: CBS/AP
CBS/AP/ December 22, 2016, 4:39 PM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- New Mexico regulators have approved restarting normal operations at the nation’s only underground nuclear waste repository, a major step for U.S. officials aiming to reopen the facility nearly three years after a radiation leak shut it down indefinitely.
Two letters obtained Thursday by The Associated Press outline the state Environment Department’s findings from a recent inspection of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Regulators found two minor permit violations but said those were addressed immediately.
The site run by the U.S. Energy Department has been closed since a radiation release in February 2014 contaminated much of the underground disposal area. The leak stemmed from a chemical reaction inside a container of waste. The container was in a salt mine chamber, a half a mile below ground, and an investigation found that the ventilation system that was supposed to stop radiation from escaping to the surface leaked because of an inadequate design.
Ten hours had passed before workers were alerted, and 21 people were exposed to radiation.
Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nuclear-waste-dump-new-mexico-regulators-ok-reopen/
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