WIPP receives 8,000th waste shipment

CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) - The federal government's nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico has received its 8,000th shipment of transuranic waste.

The shipment arrived at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant late Wednesday. It came from Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The manager of the U.S. Department of Energy's Carlsbad Field Office, Dave Moody, says reaching this milestone is a testament to the department's commitment to cleaning up and reducing the nation's nuclear waste footprint.

Officials say that hours after the 8,000th shipment rolled in, WIPP received its 300th shipment of remote-handled transuranic waste from the Vallecitos Nuclear Center in California.

The waste consists of tools, rags, protective clothing, sludge, soil and other materials contaminated with radioactive elements.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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