The Department of Energy’s Northern New Mexico Advisory Board, which provides input on cleanup issues at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, asked the acting head of the DOE’s Office of Environmental Management last week about expanding its role to include the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad.
William (Ike) White, the senior adviser for DOE’s Office of Environmental Management, who was on a swing through New Mexico last Wednesday, said he has not researched the issue. Meanwhile the head of the Los Alamos field office said much would hinge on whether Carlsbad area residents even want advice from a board.
“Historically, what we have done for each of our sites is establish advisory boards specifically tied to the scope of cleanup at the site where we have the advisory board,” White said.
The boards give advice from local perspectives but have no oversight over DOE.
During White’s appearance, a couple of panel members said it appears other DOE Office of Environmental Management advisory boards have a mission that includes an entire state.
“I would certainly be interested in the CAB [Citizens Advisory Board’s] input on that,” White said. “I understand that perspective. I have not really thought it through myself. And so, I can’t give you an easy answer.”
Part of the issue is that the community around the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) “does not want to have an advisory board over them,” said Elena Fernandez, vice chair of the Northern New Mexico Advisory Board. She asked about opening the advisory membership, however, to the “truck route corridor” leading to WIPP.
“Let’s add this as a topic that the Department of Energy would like your thoughts and feedback on,” said the nuclear cleanup office’s Los Alamos field office manager, Michael Mikolanis. Mikolanis also said he would seek input from DOE headquarters managers who coordinate all seven Environmental Management advisory panels.
“The normal approach would be to have one for WIPP and one for here,” Mikolanis said. But a lot depends on whether Carlsbad even wants an advisory board, said the Los Alamos field manager. “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t force them to participate.”
“DOE seeks input from a wide variety of stakeholders interested in WIPP operations,” an agency spokesperson said via email Tuesday. “DOE regularly engages with the Carlsbad Nuclear Task Force, the public, and intergovernmental and interest groups across the country.” Likewise, DOE “continues to discuss the possibility of forming a WIPP Citizens Advisory Board.”
In the meantime, “DOE continues to expand public participation and engagement opportunities related to our cleanup missions at WIPP and Los Alamos National Laboratory,” the spokesperson said.
