New Mexico Lawmakers Want More Money For Nuclear Waste Cleanup
By Andrea Salazar
Times may be tough but nuclear waste is no area to skimp on.
That’s what Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) are arguing as Congress begins appropriating spending for the 2012 fiscal year budget.
In a letter to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Ranking Member Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the New Mexico duo urged for more funding for New Mexico’s Water Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) “fence-to-fence” cleanup.
“The senators acknowledge the constraints of the current budget climate and that things are very difficult right now,” said Udall spokeswoman Marissa Padilla. “But what Sen. Udall and Sen. Bingaman are saying is that these are, essentially, two top priorities for New Mexico. They have great importance to the country, and it’s important that they’re properly funded.”
Regarding LANL, waste in the area affects the local community greatly because it affects their drinking water, Padilla said. However, it also has an impact on the country because WIPP receives waste shipments from around the country.
The senators are asking for an increase of $30 million over last year’s funding for WIPP and a budget of $358 million for LANL’s cleanup efforts. They cited safety and a need to comply with the Department of Energy’s consent order to clean up LANL by 2015 as reasons for the increased budgets.
“The importance of removing TRU (transuranic) waste from the site was clearly highlighted this summer when the massive Las Conchas forest fire threatened various laboratory facilities,” the senators wrote in their letter to the subcommittee.
Neither Feinstein nor Alexander could be reached for comment.
New Report Urges Immediate Conservation Action To Save Nation’s Outdoor Resources
Honorary Co-Chairs Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) presented the report to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.
Patrick Noonan, Chairman Emeritus of The Conservation Fund and Member of the President’s Commission on Americans Outdoors, briefly outlined a number of recommendations from the report including better coordination with the Department of the Interior and new tax incentives for non-profit and private conservation groups.
“We recommend a nationwide system of blueways and water trails to mobilize communities and organizations to improve water quality close to home,” said Noonan.
The report builds on the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Campaign of 1962 and the President’s Commission on American Outdoors of 1987.
“Much has changed since [the previous reports]: demographics are different, there are more of us...larger minority participation, different roles of women, urbanization...cities have grown to 80% of our population,” said Henry Diamond, partner at Beveridge & Diamond and former commissioner of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
Diamond added,“Federal government plays a substantial role and spends a lot of money but it is rather disorganized in this field. There are many agencies...that we think needs changing. We think the land and water fund has a history of being starved."
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar emphasized that action to conserve America’s landscapes is necessary now because of the troubled economy, wars, and health care issues Americans face today.
“It is in the most difficult times of our country that we look to the landscapes to refuel the spirit and the greatness of our country,” Salazar explained.
Salazar provided three reasons why conservations efforts should be a top priority including job creation, health benefits, and response to climate change.