By Hannah Grover
Federal lawmakers say the latest rounds of budget cuts could jeopardize radioactive waste storage in the Carlsbad area.
On Monday, the nonprofit newsroom NOTUS reported that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is trying to end the U.S. Department of Energy’s lease at the Skeen-Whitlock building near Carlsbad. That building houses workers who manage the Waste Isolation Pilot Project and serves as the department’s Carlsbad field office.
U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez and U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, both Democrats from New Mexico, decried this move.
“WIPP is critical to our national security. Now, Elon Musk and President Trump are jeopardizing WIPP’s operations and its ability to safely manage the disposal of nuclear waste,” Luján said in a press release. “The Carlsbad Field Office exists to ensure that WIPP can safely and effectively conduct its operations, and a potential closure could lead to delays in nuclear waste disposal and puts our environmental safety at risk.”
Vasquez noted that the field office has already faced a reduction in staff with 30% departing in the past month. At the same time, efforts are underway to update the WIPP facility and expand its capacity. The WIPP facility itself is an underground repository and is not located at the Skeen-Whitlock building.
According to the press release from Vasquez’s office, the energy department is working on essential ventilation system upgrades at WIPP following an underground truck fire in 2014 that led to a release of radioactive material. However, that project has encountered delays in part because of ongoing staffing shortages at the Carlsbad field office.
“The potential closure of the Skeen-Whitlock Building is alarming and poses significant risks to our national security and environmental safety,” Vasquez said in a press release. “This facility is central to the management and disposal of defense-related nuclear waste. Its closure could severely disrupt WIPP operations, leading to delays in waste disposal and compromising the safety protocols established to protect both the public and the environment.”