Idaho Cleanup Project Processes LANL Glovebox, Potentially Speeding WIPP Waste Shipments

Idaho Cleanup Project crews recently disassembled and packaged a glovebox originating from Los Alamos National Laboratory at a federal treatment facility in Idaho, a milestone the U.S. Department of Energy says could open the door to processing larger volumes of LANL waste for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad.

Last fall, LANL safely shipped the glovebox to the Idaho National Laboratory site according to waste transportation regulations. Once there, with the help of remote-controlled equipment, crews at the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP) treatment facility disassembled the glovebox in shielded workspaces and packaged it into 100-gallon drums, which now await certification and shipment to WIPP for permanent disposal. A glovebox is a sealed, stainless steel containment enclosure equipped with glove ports and windows, designed to protect personnel from radiological and chemical hazards when handling radioactive materials.

The accomplishment could lead ICP crews to treat and certify similar waste from LANL before disposing of it at WIPP. Dan Coyne, president and program manager for ICP's cleanup contractor, Idaho Environmental Coalition, believes this project supports DOE's cleanup mission, as well as other national interests.

The collaboration draws on a well-established playbook between the two sites. From 2013 to 2014, LANL shipped multiple corrugated metal boxes to AMWTP for processing. A similar arrangement brought waste from the Hanford Site in Washington to Idaho between 2010 and 2011. The DOE credits that prior cross-site processing with producing a 68% reduction in the number of shipments going to WIPP, allowing for more efficient use of the repository's disposal space.

The timing is significant given mounting regulatory pressure on DOE's LANL cleanup program. Between 2021 and 2025, the DOE disposed of five times more waste in WIPP from Idaho National Laboratory than from LANL, according to the New Mexico Environment Department. That disparity helped drive NMED to issue a series of enforcement actions against DOE in February. The fines were part of three enforcement actions NMED issued on February 11 related to DOE's current operations at LANL; NMED also issued a formal initiation of an operating permit modification at WIPP that would require DOE to prioritize the disposal of legacy waste there.

One of those actions imposed an administrative compliance order and civil penalty of $9,784,503 related to groundwater standards violations for chromium at LANL, requiring DOE to develop a corrective action plan for mitigation and cleanup within 60 days and submit a revised groundwater discharge permit application to the state.

NMED is also contesting DOE's deferral of the cleanup of LANL's Material Disposal Area C, an 11.8-acre unlined landfill containing radioactive waste, heavy metals, and hazardous chemicals, and has recommended that waste from MDA-C be exhumed and shipped to WIPP for disposal.

"The U.S. Department of Energy has failed to meet the Environment Department's requirements to clean up legacy waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory and prioritize the disposal of such waste in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant," said NMED Secretary James Kenney. "New Mexicans have stepped up to help solve the nation's cleanup problem in a way that residents of no other state have. The U.S. Department of Energy must prioritize their health and welfare by expediting cleanup at Los Alamos National Laboratory and ensuring there's space for New Mexico's legacy waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant."

The Department of Energy disputes that characterization. In an email response, DOE communications manager Valerie Gohlke wrote that the federal agency "is advancing legacy environmental cleanup at LANL and remains committed to public safety, efficiency, and transparency."

The LANL glovebox processing adds momentum to what the DOE frames as a broader inter-site strategy. In fiscal year 2024, Idaho Environmental Coalition made 365 shipments to WIPP, the highest single-year total at ICP in over a decade, with IEC's shipments representing more than 70% of all waste received at the underground repository since 2022. Whether LANL's backlog can close that gap will depend in part on whether the Idaho partnership can scale to handle additional gloveboxes and similar equipment awaiting treatment on the Hill.