Luján Condemns Potential Closure of Carlsbad Facility Critical to the Mission of Nation’s Only Repository for the Disposal of Nuclear Waste

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) released the following statement in response to reports stating that the General Services Administration (GSA) is moving to discontinue the government’s lease for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office. DOE’s Carlsbad Field Office employs nearly 200 federal workers who oversee highly radioactive nuclear waste from nuclear defense activities at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).

“WIPP is critical to our national security. Now, Elon Musk and President Trump are jeopardizing WIPP’s operations and its ability to safely manage the disposal of nuclear waste. The Carlsbad Field Office exists to ensure that WIPP can safely and effectively conduct its operations, and a potential closure could lead to delays in nuclear waste disposal and puts our environmental safety at risk.

“Closing the Carlsbad Field Office would not only undermine the safety protocols at WIPP to protect the public and environment but also will put hundreds of federal jobs in one of the most rural areas of our state at risk. The Carlsbad Field Office is critical for WIPP’s mission, and I will fight to ensure DOE and GSA does not close this facility and put our national and environmental security at risk.”

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