US Nuclear Waste Cleanup Delayed

For more than 20 years, nuclear waste in the United States has been stored at the Waste Isolation¹ Pilot Plant in southern New Mexico. The waste is placed deep inside large salt caves. Trucks usually bring several shipments a week of materials contaminated with radioactive elements from South Carolina, Idaho and other areas.

Now, shipments to the plant will come almost to a complete stop as the U.S. deals with the new coronavirus crisis. National laboratories and defense² sites in the United States are carrying out only those operations considered "mission critical."

Officials at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant warned state officials in a letter that more time would be needed for inspections³. They added that work would either be decreased or that they would take measures to make sure workers keep their distance from one another.

Donavan Mager is a spokesman for Nuclear Waste Partnership⁴, which runs the plant. He told the Associated Press, "This action is being taken out of an abundance of caution for the safety of employees and the community."

The same thing is happening at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The once-secret city in northern New Mexico became famous for being the birthplace of the atomic bomb. Most employees there are working away from the area.

Some work related to cleanup will continue, such as radiological studies and inspections of harmful waste storage areas. Workers will also keep watch of an early warning system designed to protect drinking water supplies.

In Washington state, visitors are no longer permitted at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Public meetings at the site have been canceled.

The number of employees there has decreased to the "absolute minimum." The employees are those needed to run safety and security programs and keep technology systems in operation for those working at home.

Officials at these and other sites say their decisions are guided by state and federal public health orders. The aim is to get people to stay home and limit contact with others to ease the growing number of cases and deaths related to COVID-19.

Worker safety is always a top priority, said U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell. She and others pushed for more money and federal action to speed up the nation's cleanup program during a congressional meeting in early March.

"We are fighting to make sure workers and their families are taken care of during this crisis and that workers have the resources they need to meet cleanup goals when they are able to safely return to their jobs," she told The Associated Press in an email.

The Trump⁵ administration's proposed budget for the U.S. Energy Department includes nearly $27 billion.

Most of that money would go toward nuclear security work that includes restarting production of parts used inside nuclear weapons. Less than 25 percent of that would be used for cleanup of 16 sites in 11 states.

The federal government has agreements with several states to reach certain cleanup goals. Officials note that the Energy Department's environmental managers are considering the possible effects on current projects as the virus spreads.

Jay Coghlan is executive director of Nuclear Watch New Mexico. He said, "The coronavirus pandemic demonstrates why we should get cleanup done once and for all...the radioactive and toxic⁶ wastes that we leave behind last longer than our recorded history. We should be acting⁷ now."

U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich said worker health should remain the main concern. But they noted⁸ that increased funding for environmental management could help support jobs and speed up cleanup in the future.

Words in This Story

abundance – n. a large quantity; plenty

contaminated – adj. made unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable⁹ elements; soiled, stained, corrupted¹⁰, or infected by contact or association

priority – n. something that is more important than other things and that needs to be done or dealt with first

1 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

6 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。

10 corrupted   

（使）败坏( corrupt的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏

参考例句：

• The body corrupted quite quickly. 尸体很快腐烂了。
• The text was corrupted by careless copyists. 原文因抄写员粗心而有讹误。