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 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, our location. Our
plant, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 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 we have had a couple of incidents that have gotten out to the
public, making us a huge liability factor in storing radioactive waste. The waste drum
packaged at Los Alamos National Laboratory and shipped to WIPP [that] leaked and
[caused a] radioactive release (Coleman A1), is evidence that if we do not expand, a
small leak will be the least of our worries.
The problem is that having only one plant is too much risk to have. If we are to
continue using only our site as a dump site, it will only be a matter of time before our
storage facility fills up, or even worse, another spill, causing the overall shut down of our
plant. 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 for 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 are offering a structured plan showcasing how building a new
plant will benefit not only the company, but the community as a whole. Finally, we will
discuss the cost and benefits explaining all the details involved, including charts.

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. As we recall, a
salt haul truck caught fire and they had to evacuate all the employees. 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) were released into the underground of the WIPP ventilation
system. This is a cause for alarm because it is 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 information given by Brett Madres on
his website (Madres 1).
If nothing is done New Mexico will continue to be at risk for harmful radiation
entering into the atmosphere and future contamination of the land might 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 improving training methods for employees. This
is what our new waste plant in Los Alamos, New Mexico proposes.

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 with a history of being tested with nuclear projects. Just like
the plant here, 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. This new site will

mirror our site and all the principles and values that we hold high for all employees. We
will build the site underground away from any underground rivers. Being underground
removes the danger of water and other environmental factors from affecting the
radioactive waste as well as the waste interfering with the water supply and the
environment. The end goal we want is all radioactive waste to be covered safely
underground. Along with the new plant, updated safety precautions will be made and
added to the training of employees. Implementing new safety precautions and updating
training regimes will reduce the chance of an accident happening. 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.
Phase Two: Update safety procedures
The health and safety of employees and the public are 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 our plant, 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, we must
make sure that they 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
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.

Step Four: Inform the public of the project and keep them updated
Similar to the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center
(CEMRC), we will open a comparable program, but with improved response times and
reports of how the environment is being affected. As Acosta noted, the CEMRC was
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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.

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, our plant, is the only site and
is currently closed down. Our team is qualified to take care of this urgent matter. With
our business and economic background, and the fact that we already hold WIPP
standards very high and are extremely familiar with them, 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
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, by keeping expectations high as we were originally trained
to do. By doing this, our laser-focused mission will advance us towards reaching new
WIPP heights and safeguard 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 costs.
Since this will be the second waste plant to be opened in the U.S. and is the only
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
(Balking B2), 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. Total cost is estimated about $2,030,200,000 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

Estimated Cost

New Facility and Equipment

2,000,000,000

Update Safety Procedures

200,000

Update training of employees

8,000,000

Inform the public

22,000,000

Total

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
population. 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, our 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 occur a second
time. This accident cost $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. 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.

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Works Cited
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): 78-80.
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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