Carlsbad WIPP office to remain in place, feds say

A truck carries waste to WIPP. A Carlsbad field office for WIPP appeared on a list for lease termination, but feds said it no longer was on March 6, 2025 (Photo courtesy DOE)

The federal government issued a decision Thursday to keep the lease in place for a Carlsbad office overseeing operations for the nation’s only nuclear waste disposal site. 

Earlier this week, members of the New Mexico federal delegation censured Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency decision to revoke the lease for a Department of Energy Carlsbad Field Office at the Skeen-Whitlock building. 

The building was included on a list Tuesday on a spreadsheet that listed more than 7,000 revoked leases, but included no additional information.

DOGE includes Carlsbad WIPP office on list for termination

The more than 90,000- square foot facility houses approximately 200 workers who manage the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant — nicknamed WIPP. The underground waste depository located 26 miles east of Carlsbad deep underground in a saltbed is the only site approved to receive items soiled with nuclear waste, including with materials such as plutonium. 

U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) applauded the General Services Administration decision to leave the lease in place, calling the attempted closure “reckless and shortsighted.”

“I stood up for Carlsbad workers and our national security interests as soon as I heard of this potential closure. I’ll continue holding the administration accountable when uninformed decisions threaten the livelihoods of New Mexicans,” Vasquez said in a written statement. 

Vasquez’s office received a formal letter from the GSA, which manages the government’s office space among other duties, that the lease will remain in place, reversing the decision to revoke the lease. 

However, the lease remains on the spreadsheet on DOGE’s list Thursday. The list also included fire dispatch centers in the state, prompting rebuke from U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) in a statement provided to Source.

“The Albuquerque and Silver City Interagency Dispatch Centers are critical for our wildland fire response,” Heinrich said. “ It would be a giant misstep if Trump and Musk close these offices. Every federal and state wildland firefighter is better equipped to do their job because of the centers’ resources, which include the airtankers deployed from Kirtland Air Force Base. As wildfire season continues to lengthen and threaten our communities, New Mexico needs these dispatch centers to support our firefighters as they help keep New Mexicans safe,

In the case of the Carlsbad office, Vasquez said the situation has caused confusion for the local community.

“The Carlsbad community deserves stability and a commitment from the federal government, not last-minute decisions that disrupt people’s lives and threaten our nation’s national security,” Vasquez said.

The U.S. Department of Energy confirmed Thursday in a written statement that the lease will remain in place.  

Carlsbad Mayor Richard Lopez told Source NM in an email he was pleased the lease was no longer at risk. 

“The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant plays a vital role in our national safety and security, and the Department of Energy is integral to our community’s operations,” Lopez said in a written statement. “We are pleased this issue has been resolved in a way that benefits Carlsbad and those who rely on these facilities.”