WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich issued the following statement today on the release of the Department of Energy's Recovery Plan for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico:

"This is a reasonable framework for moving forward. It incorporates recommendations from the Accident Investigation Boards to improve operations and lays the groundwork to reinstate a culture in which safety is the top priority.

"As this plan develops, collaboration between the Department of Energy, regulators, WIPP, and the community will continue to be important, and we'll keep working to ensure these lines of communication remain open and that key maintenance and management programs are in place. As our nation's only deep geological repository for transuranic waste, we expect WIPP to operate with the highest level of safety and the highest level of transparency. The safety, health, and protection of our workers and community is of the utmost importance.

"We still expect a final report on the cause of the release to be completed and will keep fighting to ensure funding and resources are made available to implement the recovery plan so WIPP can safely resume operations."

A copy of the plan is available here.