Two mishaps at New Mexico facilities were the result of a poor job by the federal government of making sure proper procedures were in place, according to New Mexico officials.
The state of New Mexico has fined the federal government $54 million for violations at a nuclear waste facility after a fire broke out and released radiation in two mishaps this year.
State regulators found 37 violations of its hazardous waste permits by the U.S. Department of Energy at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, which is located near Carlsbad and the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Santa Fe, Reuters reported based on New Mexico Environment Department documents.
New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez said in a statement that the health and safety of citizens is the top priority, and the state has to “hold federal agencies accountable for safe operations in the state.”
The state said the Department of Energy was lax in enforcing proper procedures, which they allege resulted in a salt truck catching fire at the plant in February, and a week later a barrel of waste rupturing at the site that was improperly packaged.
About 22 workers were exposed to low levels of radiation in the leak, which did not appear to threaten their health, according to the contractor that operates the facility, Nuclear Waste Partnership.
The response by both the federal government and the contractor were “less than adequate,” the state alleges, and fined the feds $17.7 million for violations at the plant and an additional $36.6 million for lab violations. Officials at both the federal agency and Nuclear Waste Partnership did not response to Reuters’ request for comment on Saturday.
The incidents forced the shutdown of the Water Isolation Pilot Plant, a salt mine where radioactive material is buried. Cleanup could cost up to $240 million, according to the Department of Energy.
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