45th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2002

REQUESTING THE NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, THE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND THE CARLSBAD FIELD OFFICE TO BRIEF THE APPROPRIATE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES ON EFFORTS TO ENHANCE THE POSITIVE ECONOMIC IMPACT AND SAFE OPERATION RECORD OF WIPP.

WHEREAS, the first shipment of waste from the Los Alamos national laboratory arrived at the waste isolation pilot plant commonly known as WIPP in 1999; and

WHEREAS, WIPP has now safely received over five hundred shipments representing over one million transport miles and has disposed of over fourteen thousand drums with no auto or truck accidents, no citizen or worker injuries and no contamination as a result of WIPP waste and is now receiving in excess of seventeen shipments of waste each week; and

WHEREAS, WIPP is playing an increasingly important part in accelerating the cleanup of waste stored above ground at Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories and other sites throughout the nation; and

WHEREAS, a substantial percentage of the work force in Carlsbad, New Mexico, is directly or indirectly employed by WIPP or related businesses; and

WHEREAS, WIPP has an annual budget of over one hundred ninety-two million dollars ($192,000,000) and an additional economic impact of over sixty-eight million dollars ($68,000,000) on the economy of southeastern New Mexico and has produced over eight hundred twenty high-tech jobs and several spin-off companies and facilities and has brought scores of highly trained scientists, engineers and doctoral level researchers to the area; and

WHEREAS, these companies and these employees have become an integral part of the Carlsbad and Eddy county communities; and

WHEREAS, the transportation system in New Mexico has been vastly improved by the four hundred million dollars ($400,000,000) in highway improvements directly related to WIPP;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the New Mexico department of environment, the office of environmental

management of the United States department of energy and the Carlsbad field office be requested to brief the appropriate legislative committees on efforts to enhance the positive economic impact and safe operation record of WIPP and its part in expediting the cleanup of waste sites and enhancing our environmental and homeland security; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of environment, the office of environmental management of the United States department of energy and the director of the Carlsbad field office.