Titus raises alarm at shipment of nuclear materials to Nevada

WASHINGTON — Nuclear discarded cleanup astatine the Idaho National Laboratory and the shipment and retention of the materials to different states prompted Rep. Dina Titus connected Monday to request specifics from the Department of Energy connected the magnitude and risks to Las Vegas and the Nevada National Security Site.

In a missive to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Titus said she was troubled that her bureau was ne'er notified that immoderate of the discarded removed from Idaho would beryllium shipped and stored successful Nevada.

“The proximity of the NNSS to my (congressional) District and the information that unsafe materials could beryllium sharing the roads with my constituents and visitors rise a fig of questions for maine astir this shipment of atomic materials,” Titus wrote to Granholm.

The missive was sent precocious Monday, and requests for remark connected the missive to the Department of Energy were not instantly returned.

But the Department of Energy announced past period that the high-priority cleanup task successful Idaho to support the Snake River Plain Aquifer was up of schedule.

Most of the discarded being removed is being sent to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant successful New Mexico. The discarded successful Idaho primitively came from cleanup of the Rocky Flats Plant successful Colorado, which produced atomic weapons earlier it closed successful the 1970s.

The discarded includes atomic filters and different components and worldly utilized astatine the Colorado works earlier it was shipped and stored successful Idaho, wherever ineligible challenges by the authorities resulted successful the exhumation and retention astatine different imperishable location.

Only a tiny magnitude of the discarded is being sent to different locations, including the Nevada National Security Site. Titus said the Department of Energy has not been forthcoming astir the shipping of that discarded to Nevada, oregon the details of the contented of the waste.

“Since I learned astir the projected transportation of atomic discarded from Idaho, I’ve had concerns,” Titus said successful a statement.

“After reports that portions of this discarded were slated for the Nevada National Security Site, I’ve reached retired to DOE. Until I person satisfactory answers to each of my questions, I volition proceed to dependable absorption to immoderate transfers of atomic material,” she said. “Nevada is not America’s dumping ground.”

Low-level and mixed low-level radioactive subject discarded are presently stored astatine the Nevada National Security Site.

In her missive to Granholm, Titus asked that the Energy Department disclose the magnitude of discarded to beryllium shipped to the Nevada National Security Site, and whether its is classified arsenic low-level oregon mixed low-level, the second of which includes toxic metals.

The Energy Department agreed to wage Nevada $65,000 past twelvemonth for shipments of mischaracterized discarded from Tennessee to the Nevada National Security Site implicit a five-year period.

Energy Department officials said the discarded posed to wellness oregon information risks to workers oregon the public.

The Energy Department besides is nether national tribunal bid to region a metric half-ton of weapons people plutonium that was moved to the Nevada National Security Site, arsenic the authorities sought to artifact the shipment. Federal officials revealed the shipments aft the authorities had filed a suit successful national court.

Contact Gary Martin astatine gmartin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @garymartindc connected Twitter.