Expansion and Gains from a new Radioactive

Waste Management Plant

A Proposal to Waste Isolation Pilot Plant from Interior Economic
Management Team

Introduction
New Mexico is a beautiful state with a lot of history. The Land of Enchantment
intrigues not only the residents, but also many tourists with its beautiful landscape and
its enriching culture. The continuation of this beautiful state, however, is being
threatened. Radioactive waste is continuingly being stored in only one location in New
Mexico. The Carlsbad site is called, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and it is currently the
only radioactive disposal site in the United States. Due to the fact that this is the only
site, it not only has the potential for harmful effects, but already has documented leaks
into New Mexico. The waste drum packaged at Los Alamos National Laboratory and
shipped to WIPP [that] leaked and [caused a] radioactive release (Coleman A1), is
evidence enough that something needs to be done.
The problem is that only having one plant is too much risk to have. If we are to
continue only using New Mexico as a dump site then something needs to be changed.
Our team has been hard at work trying to determine a plan of action that will not only
benefit the residents of New Mexico, but the plant itself. We propose that we open up a
second plant. This plant will not only have the same features as the old one, but will
have an updated safety procedure and an improved training method of the employees.
This will reduce the chance of an accident happening to ensure the safety of the land
and the citizens of New Mexico. This new plant will be in need for more employees so

more jobs will be created. This will increase the revenue of the plant and will increase
the number of people employed.
In our proposal we will showcase how building a new plant will benefit not only
the company, but the community as a whole. We will offer specific steps in the planning.
Finally, we will discuss the cost and benefits through explanation and charts. Our goal is
to show that we only have New Mexicos well being in our hearts.

Current Situation
Radioactive waste, which includes plutonium, affects the environment and
individuals if not handled properly. Plutonium, if exposed to, may not be detected for
many years, if at all (Plutonium 2). The risk of plutonium is that if it is held above
ground on storage facilities around the country[it has] the potential to be
inadvertently released to the biosphere (Plutonium 2). In February of 2014, there were
two isolated events that took place. The first took place on February 5. A salt haul truck
caught fire and they had to evacuate all the employees, and the underground portion of
WIPP was shut down (WIPP Recovery). As a result, six workers were treated for
smoke inhalation (WIPP Recovery). The second incident occurred on February 14, in
which a waste drum packaged at Los Alamos National Laboratory and shipped to
WIPP [that] leaked and [caused a] radioactive release (Coleman A1). Through this leak,
large amounts of radioactive contamination (americium and plutonium) (Acosta par. 6)
was released into the underground of the WIPP ventilation system. This is a cause for
alarm because it has estimated that it will cost about half a billion dollars to clean
up...which could take years to open up the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) again
(Balking B2). Whats even more alarming is that, by 2035 the total amount of nuclear

waste in the U.S is expected to increase to an estimated 104,000 tons (Madres 1). The
following graph shows the astonishing amount of radioactive material accumulating in
the U.S., based off of the info given by Brett Madres on his website (Madres 1).

If nothing is done, New Mexico will continue to be at risk for harmful radiation
being entered into the atmosphere and future contamination of land can affect the
citizens. Potentially, there could be radioactive waste undisposed of and scattered
throughout many areas of the state of New Mexico. Imagine innocent people, especially
children, who inadvertently discover these toxic materials that are deadly in these areas
unknown to them. These events could be solved simply through storing the radioactive
waste in another protected region, and an improved training method for employees.
This is what our new waste plant in Los Alamos, New Mexico offers.

Project Plan
Los Alamos, from a geological standpoint, is a city that has deserts and large
areas of free space. The location of Los Alamos, New Mexico is an area that is barren
and has a dry environment that has a history of being tested with nuclear projects.
Similar to the WIPP site in Carlsbad, New Mexico, this new site would be built
underground. From a safety perspective, this is the best way to store this waste
because it is not on the surface where it can cause danger. The new site helps us solve
this issue of where to store future radioactive waste because leaving it out on the
surface is dangerous where it remains susceptible to accident or misuse by terrorists
(Goldstein 78). Disposing of nuclear waste in an environmentally friendly manner is not
a luxury, it is a necessity. We will build the site underground away from any underground
rivers. Eventually, the radioactive waste will be covered safely underground and the
danger will be removed in New Mexicos environment. Along with the new plant,
updated safety precautions will be made and added to the training of employees. To be
maximally effective, the project plan will have the following features:
Phase One: New facility and equipment
The new site will be built underground about 2,000 feet below the surface and at
least thirty miles away from the city in order to ensure the protection of people from
potential danger. With this new facility, we will make sure that the new location will be
away from any water sources, aquifers, etc. as to not affect any ground water. The new
facility will include updated forklifts for moving the waste into the underground area, new
cranes for transporting containers, more elevators for quicker and more efficient time
management, and an updated inspection area to make sure all containers of radioactive
waste pass protocol to be able to be put underground. This contributes to the safety as
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well. What separates this from safety procedures is that this is the actual job that the
employees will be doing. This teamed up with new safety procedures will make the work
environment better for everyone.
Phase Two: Update safety procedures
The health and safety of employees and the public is of paramount importance in
the process of updating the waste disposal program. A major component of disposing
nuclear waste is to do it in a manner that will not harm the people involved. For
example, airborne radioactive particles are an extreme threat to workers health; they
can cause genetic mutations and lead to cancer. The biggest improvement that can be
made is to enhance the system of continuous air monitors (CAMs). CAMs detect
harmful particles with speed and accuracy, letting personnel know immediately if there
is danger of exposure. Many CAMs will be improved in the new facility to constantly
monitor the amount and location of radioactivity. New emergency procedures will be
implemented that include evacuation and handling of containers through analyzing them
thoroughly during inspection to make sure they are not broken. New screening tests will
be updated to ensure the safety of workers and their health.
Phase Three: Update training of employees
It is clear from the accident at the WIPP site in Carlsbad that the situation was
not handled properly. Therefore, more extensive training is required and all employees
must know proper protocol for transporting and disposing of waste. When hiring
employees, they must meet stricter qualification requirements and have an extensive
knowledge in areas such as waste transportation, nuclear safety, management and
operations, environmental protection, and waste characterization than what was
previously required of in the WIPP protocol. Each employee will be tested on their skills
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to make sure that they will be fit for this job which deals with many potential hazards.
Training courses and practice situations will be put forth in order to get workers
prepared for a variety of disasters that can happen. This will help greatly to prevent
future accidents, as humans pose the greatest risks for error in situations like this.
Phase Four: Inform the public of the project and keep them updated
Through our new environmental program that is like the Carlsbad Environmental
Monitoring and Research Center (CEMRC), we will open a program similar to how it
runs, but with improved response times and reports of how the environment is being
affected. As Acosta noted, the CEMRC was the first to discover and quantify the
presence of small amounts of radioactive contamination which escaped the WIPP site
[it had] a negligible impact to the local environment and the population since the
radiation release (Acosta par. 8). With the updating of program protocols and collecting
information from the new site, water scanning and air samples will be analyzed to
confirm that the environment is safe. This new information will be published on a
website weekly and in local newspapers. This will help contribute to the public
knowledge and give awareness to people near the site, including to people all over New
Mexico.
Phase Five: Set a plan to annually update regulations and other safety
procedures
As discussed, a large part of the plan is to update safety regulations, but those
procedures must be kept current to adapt to changing circumstances. Varying
environmental conditions and levels of waste, for example, will create different needs for
the facility, so it is important that every year the standards for waste disposal are
reviewed and amended.

To conclude, none of these phases can act alone. This meaning that they all
have to be implemented, they work better when they are together. We set up these
phases to compliment each other and increase the companys reliability. It also does not
leave any questions unanswered, with the new facility it will improve work environment
and the updated safety procedures will make it safer. The new facility calls for updated
training and with new safety procedures set to make work life easier, it will be an easy
transition for the employees. Finally, with the public opinion, we are able to succeed on
all cylinders and improve an already successful company and ensure the safety of New
Mexico.

Qualifications
As radioactive waste continues to build, the need to take action and build a new
site is becoming more of a necessity. Currently, Carlsbad is the only site and is closed
down. Our team is qualified to take care of this urgent matter. We are well aware of
WIPPs policies and regulations and have kept their mission in mind in all that we do.
With our business and economic background we can take on the responsibility of
figuring out cost and who to hire to complete this project. Our team consists of the
following members;
Leo Pallares
As part of our Economic management team, Leo has vast experience in
management. He is capable of leading the team and knowing who to hire and has
extensive experience with starting up businesses. He is a junior currently one semester
away from being admitted into Anderson School of Business at The University of New
Mexico. With goals of majoring in operations management and international business,
you can rest assured that we have the best of the best leading the project. Leo only
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contracts the best and wants to make sure the people that he hires meet all of the
specific requirements to ensure the most skilled workers are employed.
Tareq Khweis
Tareq Khweis is a student currently attending the University of New Mexico. He is
a sophomore currently studying for his B.A. in Business with a minor in Economics.
Marketing Management is a focus that he prides himself on. His overall knowledge of
macroeconomics will add to the broad perspective of how the company will do in the big
picture. He will look into building up WIPP, so that it can continue to lead radioactive
waste management and prosper economically for future generations to come.
David Rodriguez
David Rodriguez is currently in his sophomore year at The University of New
Mexico in pursuit of a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in
Financial Management, and with a minor in Economics. With his experience and
knowledge in microeconomics he is more than capable of dissecting the risks with
expanding this business and how this company can only benefit economically from
these decisions.
As a whole, our team is capable of taking on this task with our extensive
knowledge of this department and exposure to economic models. We will ensure that
WIPP will continue to grow and our decisions will advance us towards reaching its
future goals of a smooth operation. Our goal is to be recognized as the leading pioneer
in radioactive waste management.

Costs and Benefits

To conclude, let us discuss the advantages of our plan and appropriate the costs.
Since this will be the second waste plant to be opened in the U.S. and is the only
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solution to at least part of the nuclear waste disposal dilemma, andthe only backyard
that so far has been willing to step up and put the nations interests first by hosting it
(ABQ Journal), this makes New Mexico the only target for storing the radioactive waste.
By New Mexico being the only place to dispose of this nuclear waste, the money
to have the waste moved here would help make-up for the costs of the disaster and
create more revenue in the long-run. Cost is estimated about 2 billion dollars based off
the previous estimates from the original site. Opening this new site is worth it because
of the incentives it will bring in the future. Our numbers are based off estimations from
the article, The ROI of Safety Training (Tedeschi 4).
Plan
New Facility and Equipment
Update Safety Procedures
Update training of employees
Inform the public
Total

Estimated Cost
$ 2,000,000,000
$ 200,000
$ 8,000,000
$ 22,000,000
$ 2,030,200,000

This investment in a second site will not only provide stability for the future, but
our plan will:
First, support the economy by creating new jobs. In areas of New Mexico,
especially desert type ones, it is difficult to create a thriving economy that can support
the local people. With this, the company will gain a valuable reputation for helping the
people of New Mexico, while also contributing beneficially to the environment.
Furthermore, the WIPP site is encouraging this positive outlook and increases the
possibility for awareness on radioactive material, which will bring in more potential
customers.
Second, the employees will benefit from the extra training and procedures to
make sure that accidents like the one that recently happened at the WIPP site dont
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occur a second time. This accident costed $500 million, which could have been used to
open up a new site anyway. With new equipment, updated policies, extensive employee
training, and a new environmental program in Los Alamos, the workers can be more
productive knowing that safety is the number one priority. We will try to prevent an
accident from ever happening again.
When the new site is opened, WIPP will be able to grow and be put in a position
that will be the leader in the U.S. for radioactive waste disposal.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work with you on this project. Our
management team will be in contact with you within the next week to follow up and
discuss a future conference. If you need any other further assistance or have any other
follow up questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our following contact
information for our interior economic marketing team goes as the following: Leo
Pallares; Leo585@unm.edu, Tareq Khweis; tkhweis@unm.edu, and David Rodriguez;
dardoriguez478@unm.edu. Any one of our team can answer any of your questions.

Works Cited

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Acosta, Tiffany. NMSUs Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring Research Center protects

residents. Las Cruces Sun-News (NM). NewsBank. 15 Feb. 2015. Web. 25 Oct.
2015.
"Balking at fines wont help DOE reach a nuke solution." Albuquerque Journal
(NM). NewsBank. 22 Feb. 2015, Editorials: B2. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Coleman, Michael "U.S. Energy chief backs WIPP, B-61 - Moniz vows waste site will
reopen, bomb work to go on." Albuquerque Journal (NM). NewsBank. 26 Mar.
2015, Front Page: A1. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Goldstein, Jon. "How To Build A Better Sepulcher: Lessons From New Mexicos Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant." Bulletin Of The Atomic Scientists 67.5 (2011): 7880. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Madres, Brett. "Storage and 'Disposal' of Nuclear Waste." Storage and 'Disposal' of
Nuclear Waste. Standford University, 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Tedeschi, Art. "The ROI of Safety Training." FirstNet Whitepaper. FirstNet Learning, Inc.,
n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
"What Is Plutonium?" (n.d.): 2+. Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. U.S. Department of Energy,
Jan. 2003. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
"WIPP Recovery." Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. U.S. Department of Energy, 12 Jun. 2015.
Web. 25 Oct. 2015.

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