PUBLIC ACCESS TO ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AT WASTE SITES - AN EXPERIMENT IN PROGRESS

The Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center conducts an environmental monitoring program in the region of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The program provides environmental monitoring information to the public without prior review of the information by DOE. The program is operated by a university, under a grant structure, does not have regulatory responsibility, and does not participate in public defense or critique of DOE practices. Public access to the environmental monitoring results is provided via written reports, newsletters, public outreach activities, scientific publications, and an extensive Internet web site. To enhance stability, the program has diversified to provide research and services with funding from a variety of other public and private sponsors. Current and future challenges in maintaining this independent environmental monitoring program include negotiation of the first grant extension, repeated re-establishment of roles with new DOE representatives, and participation in efforts to attract new research programs, especially those that could use the WIPP underground as a laboratory.