The next few weeks will be a very important time in the history of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Tularosa Basin Range Services, who is a part of Bechtel, will begin taking over the management and operations contract with WIPP. The current M&O is Nuclear Waste Partnership (NWP). NWP’s legacy parent companies have held this contract for all of WIPP’s history up to this point. It’s the contract that handles most of the day-to-day operations at the underground repository, such as mining and emplacement of TRU waste. Other contractors provide technical assistance and transportation support. The Department of Energy oversees the project. 

Carlsbad is the host community of WIPP, and the vast majority of WIPP’s employees live in or near Carlsbad. Our thoughts are therefore with all of our friends and neighbors at WIPP as this transition process takes place. The good news is that WIPP has a highly qualified, experienced workforce, and we expect changes to be minimal. 

NWP and its predecessors have always displayed a strong willingness to invest in this community. Events such as the “Day of Caring” and community projects such as the new beach pavilion and shade structures around town have been strongly driven by WIPP’s M&O. One of the reasons Carlsbad and WIPP have such a strong relationship is because WIPP’s contractors have always displayed such a high level of community involvement. This has been especially the case with Sean Dunagan serving as the president and project manager of NWP. We are sincerely thankful to Sean and everyone at NWP for everything they have done. 

Bechtel has an outstanding reputation, and we look forward to working with the company in the upcoming months to assist with this transition process. We have high hopes that the strong emphasis on safety, education and community support will remain. The strong relationship between WIPP and Carlsbad is often mentioned as a model to projects around the nation, and we’d like to see that continue.