States and tribal governments along haulage routes leading to the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico could divvy up about $8.9-million in federal project grants during fiscal 2022, according to a recent notice.
“The participating States, tribes, and the DOE will work to develop, coordinate, and implement activities in accident prevention, emergency preparedness, and public information programs to help ensure the safe transportation of transuranic waste” to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, N.M., according to the notice published Sept. 9 on the procurement website, sam.gov.
The WIPP Land Withdrawal Act requires DOE to provide program support and technical help to states and tribes for accident prevention and emergency response, a DOE spokesperson said in a Tuesday response to a Weapons Complex Morning Briefing inquiry.
The awards are in the form of cooperative agreements to help ensure safe transport of defense-related transuranic waste to the underground disposal site, the DOE spokesperson said. The money is also subject to the availability of Congressionally-approved funds.
The awards can range anywhere from $50,000 to $3 million per year; the award decision is made by DOE’s Carlsbad field office, according to the notice. The amount made available for 2021 was $2.2 million. For fiscal 2020 it was $5.3 million.
