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Energy Secretary Visits Shuttered Nuclear Waste Facility
U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz visited the shuttered nuclear waste plant in New Mexico on Wednesday for the first time since a radiation leak six months ago. He asked for the public's patience as the investigation into the cause of the leak continues.
Moniz addressed an audience of concerned citizens in Carlsbad, N.M., but offered little new information about the future of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the nation's only underground nuclear waste repository.
"We are all frustrated because we want to go fast, but we can only go as fast as we can understand to make sure that we are doing it safely," Moniz said.
The latest theory behind the radiation release that closed the facility in February has to do with incompatible chemicals mixing inside some waste containers stored underground.
Meanwhile shipments of defense related waste from around the country to Carlsbad have been suspended. Officials at the facility have said it could remain closed for up to three years.