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Committee hears update on transuranic shipments, WIPP training delay and staffing shortfalls
Summary
State committee heard that NNSAproposed Intersite shipments of oversized glove boxes were paused by Western states, that WIPTREX has been postponed to March 2026 because of staff losses, and that DOE-provided shipment estimates show 571 shipments in the fiscal year.
Carrie D'Aguero, the new bureau chief for the Hazardous Waste Planning Bureau at the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, told the Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee that Western states have paused an NNSA initiative to use Type A packaging for oversized, transuranic-contaminated glove boxes and to send those items to Idaho for size reduction before final transport to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).
D'Aguero said the proposed move was prompted by the large size of the glove boxes, which "far exceed the capability of the Type B packaging," and that the sites lack capacity to perform the required size reduction on-site. She told the committee the initiative had been paused so Western states could reach a complete agreement with NNSA and that a Western-states meeting is scheduled in Carlsbad on November 5.
Committee members pressed for details about shipment priority and staffing. D'Aguero said DOE provided an estimate of 571 total shipments for the fiscal year and that, "They only anticipate having 15 shipments a year" for the specific Intersite glove-box moves. She also reported a significant staff loss in the WIPP cooperative program and that two hires (a program coordinator and a training coordinator) remain to be filled.
Because of those staffing shortfalls, the department moved the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Transportation Emergency Exercise (WIPTREX) from October 2025 to March 2026 "so Raton and Colfax County could actually benefit from" a full-scale exercise, D'Aguero said. She added that hospitals and local first responders continue to receive training from the Department of Health.
Members asked why federally funded positions could not receive offer letters during a federal shutdown; D'Aguero said funding exists but that her leadership paused issuing offers while the shutdown continues and she pledged to get clarification for the committee. Senator Thornton asked why more shipments appeared to come from Idaho than from Los Alamos and asked whether the state could reprioritize shipments so Los Alamos waste gets greater priority; D'Aguero said she would investigate and report back.
Representative Block asked whether the transportation exercise was funded from the program's $1.5 million cooperative-agreement request; D'Aguero confirmed the exercise is paid from that request and said local hosts sometimes request supplemental funds for specific exercises. She described out-of-state agencies such as Colorado Department of Public Safety as participating in an observing role at local request.
The committee also reminded D'Aguero that the radioactive consultation task force is required to meet and report annually; members asked that the task force meeting and the required report be scheduled before the committee's next meeting on November 10. The committee approved minutes from the prior meeting before adjourning.
The department said it will follow up with written answers on hiring constraints, shipment-priority rules, and any additional details requested by members.
