New Mexico negotiates settlement over permit renewal for US nuclear waste repository

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico says it has reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Energy over the renewal of a permit for the federal government’s only underground repository for nuclear waste. Officials with the New Mexico Environment Department announced Tuesday that an agreement was reached last week after four days of negotiations. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in southeastern New Mexico is key in the nation’s multibillion-dollar effort to clean up decades of radioactive waste left behind by nuclear research and bomb-making. State officials say the new draft permit would provide greater regulatory oversight and safeguards over the next decade.