New Mexico pushes for faster cleanup of old nuclear waste

New Mexico isn’t happy with how the federal government handles nuclear waste cleanup in the state. The big issue is Los Alamos National Laboratory, where radioactive trash has piled up since the 1950s. Officials in New Mexico say the U. S. Department of Energy is favoring new nuclear weapons production over cleaning up old messes. They’ve given the DOE until 2028 to move all the leftover waste from Los Alamos to a storage site in Carlsbad, New Mexico. That site, called the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), has been taking nuclear waste from across the country since 1999. The DOE has been talking about closing Los Alamos’s waste site, Area G, for over 30 years, but progress has been slow. Now, New Mexico’s Environment Department is making a stronger push. They’ve added new rules to the DOE’s permit, demanding that Los Alamos sends more waste to WIPP. Between 2023 and 2025, only 198 containers came from Los Alamos, while 992 came from another site in Idaho. New Mexico wants Los Alamos to make up at least 55% of WIPP’s waste disposal by 2027.The state isn’t just asking nicely—they’re ready to take legal action if the DOE doesn’t comply. The Environment Department has warned that if no agreement is reached, they could sue or seek a court order to force cleanup. A 45-day public comment period just started, giving people a chance to weigh in before final decisions are made. A public hearing is expected later this year, with everything wrapping up by fall 2026. Behind this fight is a bigger debate: should the U. S. focus more on making new nuclear weapons or cleaning up old waste? President Trump’s budget proposal in April suggested cutting money for cleanup while increasing spending on nuclear arms. That doesn’t sit well with New Mexico’s leaders, who argue that both goals shouldn’t be forced into a choice. They say it’s possible to modernize nuclear weapons while also taking care of past mistakes. Meanwhile, the DOE hasn’t commented on the dispute. Their silence leaves many questions unanswered. But one thing is clear—New Mexico wants action, not just promises.