Federal Government Settles With New Mexico Over Radiation Leak
The U.S. Department of Energy has agreed to a $73 million dollar settlement with the state of New Mexico related to a underground radiation leak at a federal nuclear waste facility.
The leak occured in February 2014 at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) outside Carlsbad, N.M. The facility, which stores waste leftover from federal nuclear weapons research and prodcution, has been shut down ever since.
In December, New Mexico's Environment Department slapped its highest fine ever against the federal government over numerous violations related to that radiation leak. Both parties have now reached an agreement, which they released publicly on Thursday.
As part of the settlement the U.S. Department of Energy agreed to fund repairs on New Mexico roads used to transport nuclear waste. It also agreed pay for independent reviews of regulatory compliance at at WIPP and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Compliance reports would be generated three times a year and made available for public review.
The settlement also includes water quality monitoring and training for emergency crews in Carlsbad.
