Government officials of New Mexico are unhappy with the idea of interim storage of high-level nuclear waste in their state. Elected officials including Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D), Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) all voiced their dissent with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Holtec International’s plan.
Communities, under federal law, are only selected as an interim storage site if they consent to it. New Mexico has already filed a lawsuit with the federal government over the Holtec interim storage site, but this letter to Washington is further proof that New Mexicans do not consent to being a “volunteer community” for high-level nuclear waste.
In their letter, officials outlined their main concerns with the proposed project: the health and safety of New Mexicans and the environment. With nuclear facilities such as WIPP, Los Alamos, and Sandia Labs in the state already, officials do not want to add any more nuclear burdens to their residents.
