By Adrian Monty
New Mexico continues the fight to avoid becoming the nation’s radioactive dumping ground. The legislature recently passed a bill prohibiting the construction of an interim or permanent waste site without the state’s consent. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed it into law March 17, the moment it hit her desk, and it officially went into effect June 15. Under the statute, the federal government must have a plan for permanent disposal, and the state must approve a proposed facility before any interim waste facilities break ground. Meanwhile, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has notified Holtec International of its approval of the firm’s plan to build a consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) for 8,680 metric tons of high-level radioactive waste in New Mexico. While a wide range of groups, tribes and lawmakers continue working against the project, others are strongly in support of it. Some elected officials in the New Mexico counties where the Holtec CISF would reside, formed the Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance and continue to boost the project, as demonstrated in a recent letter to President Biden. — NM Political Report, May 3; Beyond Nuclear, May 11; Carlsbad Current-Argus, March 22, 2023
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