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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

The nation's first Consortium to address waste management issues

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5899770

On July 26, 1989, the Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE), Admiral James Watkins, announced approval of the Waste-Management Education and Research Consortium (WERC). The Consortium is composed of New Mexico State University (NMSU), the University of New Mexico (UNM), the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMIMT), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Sandia National Laboratory (SNL). This pilot program is expected to form a model for other regional and national programs. The WERC mission is to expand the national capability to address issues associated with the management of hazardous, radioactive, and solid waste. This consortium effort is funded by the DOE at a rate of about $5 million per year. The management of the consortium efforts is provided by the NMSU Engineering Department. The Director of the Consortium, Dr. Ron Bhada, is also based at NMSU. An Executive Board and several advisory boards are responsible for the continued direction and progress of the Consortium. Research, Technology Transfer, and Education/Training are the three areas that have been identified to accomplish the objectives set out by the Consortium. The members of the Consortium will reach out to the DOE facilities, other government agencies and facilities, and private institutions across the country. Their goal is to provide resources for solutions to waste management problems.

Research Organization:
Westinghouse Electric Corp., Carlsbad, NM (USA). Waste Isolation Div.
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-86AL31950
OSTI ID:
5899770
Report Number(s):
DOE/WIPP-90-052C; CONF-910603--13; ON: DE91011461
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English