A plan to temporarily store tons of spent fuel from U.S. commercial nuclear reactors in New Mexico is drawing fire from critics who say the federal government needs to consider more alternatives. Dozens of people packed a meeting Monday in Roswell as regulators took comments on the proposal by Holtec International to construct a below-ground space that could house about 100,000 metric tons of used fuel. Ranchers and dairy operators suggested the plan could affect agriculture and oil and gas — stalwarts of the southeastern New Mexico economy. Supporters say the project could provide another economic boost to the region, already home to the federal government’s only underground repository for Cold War-era waste generated by decades of bomb-making and nuclear research.
Augusta Chronicle 1st May 2018 read more »
