Master FIR (1988)

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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR:	Kidd		DATE TYPED:	02/06/01		HB
SHORT TITLE:		DOE Support of WIPP				SB	SM 9
					ANALYST:		Belmares

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY01

FY02

FY01

FY02

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Memorial 9 requests the United State Department of Energy to continue its support of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) as a facility for use by the particle astrophysics research community.

Among the points acknowledged by Senate Memorial 9:

•WIPP is located in one of the world's largest evaporative salt deposits.
•The deep geologic waste repository has announced the availability of its underground and mine infrastructure to the particle astrophysics research community.
•The United States Department of Energy has been willing to make WIPP available for purposes other than waste disposal and its pledged support.
•The time has arrived to establish a national astrophysics particle research facility in the United States.
•Underground and mine infrastructure should be made available to conduct particle astrophysics research.
•WIPP's geological attributes provide a desirable and pre-existing underground and mine infrastructure.
•Cost savings may result from using existing mine and underground infrastructure as well as from WIPP's association with an existing federal project.

Additionally Senate Memorial 9 resolves that copies of the memorial be transmitted to the Secretary of the United State Department of Energy and to the New Mexico Congressional delegation.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Department of Environment has indicated that under the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act, the United States Congress limited activities at WIPP to those directly associated with disposal of radioactive waste resulting from United States defense activities and programs.

The Department of Environment has also indicated that deploying a research facility at WIPP could cause competition for resources such as currently devoted to waste management and disposal.

EB/ar