New Mexicans debate nuclear waste disposal: DOE's plans to bury several types of nuclear wastes near Carlsbad stir fierce controversy; WIPP project seen as major testing ground for national waste disposal policy

A brief survey of the background of the Waste Isolation Plant (WIPP) at Carlsbad, New Mexico and the forces at play around WIPP is presented. DOE has plans to establish by 1988 an underground repository for nuclear wastes in the salt formations near Carlsbad. Views of New Mexicans, both pro and con, are reviewed. It is concluded that DOE will have to practice public persuasion to receive approval for the burial of wastes in New Mexico.