The Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department said it continues to operate the state’s radioactive-materials transportation program: training first responders, equipping law enforcement and fire departments, conducting WIPP-level inspections and coordinating exercises with local jurisdictions.

Aletha Trujillo, EMNRD’s hazardous waste planning bureau chief and radioactive-waste consultation task force coordinator, told the committee the task force submitted formal comments to the Department of Energy on its draft plan to define “legacy” transuranic waste. EMNRD requested DOE use Los Alamos National Laboratory’s definition (material generated before Oct. 1, 1999), consult tribal governments under DOE order guidance, and report annually on legacy waste prioritization and tracking.

Why it matters: WIPP is the nation’s only deep geologic repository for defense-related transuranic waste. How DOE defines and prioritizes legacy waste affects cleanup priorities, disposal planning and transportation activity through New Mexico.

Training and inspections: Trujillo summarized a multiagency state effort to train hospital staff, fire departments and state police on radiation detection, personal protective equipment, decontamination and WIPP‑level inspections. She said the task force is closing out year three of a five-year DOE cooperative agreement that funds training, equipment replacement and inspection activities; EMNRD has requested $1.5 million for fiscal 2026 to continue the program.

Transport activity: EMNRD reported 81 shipments to WIPP between Jan. 1 and May 13 in the current calendar year, with Idaho National Laboratory as the largest shipper and 13 shipments from Los Alamos during the period. Trujillo said inspection and enforcement teams, including state police WIPP-level inspectors, are routinely deployed for shipments and that the task force runs transportation exercises; an October WIPP transportation exercise and task force meeting in Colfax County were announced.

Legal and regional watch items: Trujillo briefed the committee on pending litigation over proposed consolidated interim storage licenses in Texas (Holtec and Interim Storage Partners) and said New Mexico is watching the U.S. Supreme Court review of the Fifth Circuit ruling; she warned that the case raises questions about the regulatory meaning of “temporary” and the potential for long-term storage to shift responsibility onto states and local responders.

Ending: The EMNRD coordinator invited committee members to the October transport exercise and said she will report back if DOE revises the legacy-waste plan or provides requested clarifications.