Adrian Hedden
El Rito Media
achedden@currentargus.com

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad has received about 7,500 shipments of nuclear waste from Idaho since the facility opened in 1999.

Idaho National Laboratory, where nuclear weapons and energy research is conducted, reported the milestone Tuesday, April 1, as the lab pursues a “legacy waste” transfer plan expected to continue for at least eight more years.

“Legacy waste” refers to materials mostly left over from U.S. nuclear programs during the Cold War. Idaho National Laboratory is moving the waste to WIPP as the result of a 1995 lawsuit settlement between the state of Idaho and the federal government requiring nuclear waste at the lab be removed from the state.

In its latest “Legacy Tru Waste Disposal Plan” published Nov. 4, 2024, the U.S. Energy Department said it expected “most shipments” of Idaho’s waste will be completed by 2033. It was unclear exactly how many shipments remained, according to the plan, as much of the waste was being exhumed after it was initially buried around the lab decades ago.

The Department of Energy reported in January 2024 there were about 30,000 containers left as of 2024, compared with the 65,000 estimated when the 1995 settlement agreement was signed.

At WIPP, the Energy Department disposes of transuranic nuclear waste (TRU), which is clothing materials, equipment and other debris irradiated during nuclear activities.

The waste is buried at WIPP in a salt deposit about 2,000 feet underground. The salt gradually collapses on the waste, burying the refuse and blocking radiation from escaping.

More waste was sent to WIPP from Idaho than from any of the 12 other facilities that make shipments to the repository, according to WIPP shipment records. The 7,500 shipments from the Idaho lab were about 53% of the approximately 14,200 shipments sent to the facility for burial since disposal operations began

Idaho was followed by 2,045 shipments from the now-defunct Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site near Denver; the Savannah River Site in South Carolina at 1,795 shipments; and Los Alamos National Laboratory in northern New Mexico, which sent 1,680 shipments since WIPP opened.

Idaho sent 341shipments last year, a decline from the 386 shipments the year before but still more shipments than any other facility that sent waste to WIPP in the last two years – about 73% of all the waste sent to WIPP in 2024.

Kelly Wooley, waste management project director at Idaho Environmental Coalition, the contractor hired by the DOE to lead cleanup at the lab, said the facility would continue shipping toward its goal of removing all of the legacy waste from Idaho.

The DOE estimated about 12 shipments leave Idaho for the WIPP site every week.

“I am proud of our many dedicated and hardworking employees,” Wooley said. “This accomplishment would not be possible without them and our collaborative partnership with WIPP.”

By Rick Mauch
Special to El Rito Media

The sport of breakaway roping requires blinding speed, bullseye accuracy and at least a smidgen of patience. But patience isn’t easy.

With the world watching on live television and the Globe Life Field crowd in Arlington, Texas, roaring Friday night, 18-year-old Capitan roper Addison Kinser was poised on the brink of rodeo glory and a million-dollar payday.

But it wasn’t to be. In the blink of an eye, Kinser’s dreams of an American Rodeo championship in breakaway roping were dashed as her horse Jlo jumped an instant too soon, causing judges to add a 10-second penalty to her excellent time of 2.22 seconds.

“I left an inch too early. I roped my calf, but I just left too soon,” Kinser said.

To explain what happened to Kinser – and several others Friday night –, the calf in breakaway roping is given a head start by a barrier, which is a rope stretched across the roping box. The calf is attached to this barrier, and must break free before the horse and rider leave the roping box.

Failure to give the calf this head start, known as “breaking the barrier,” results in a penalty. So, Kinser’s time of 2.22 seconds was turned into 12.22. Instead of being in second place, she tied for ninth.

“I thought I did break the barrier,” she said. “Then, I looked back and saw the guy’s hands up and realized, yep, I did.”

Kinser was riding a horse she purchased just a few days before the event and had only ridden three times.

“I thought he would be better prepared for this situation with all the lights and sound, and he did great,” she said. “He handled all that well. I just left too early. And it was so loud. I’ve never competed in any event this big or this loud.”

The American Rodeo is unique in that it allows both professional and aspiring rodeo athletes, known as “contenders,” to compete side-by-side with a $1 million bonus for contenders should they win the overall championship in their event. Contenders qualify by advancing from their respective regions – Kinser qualified with a second-place finish in Tulsa, Oklahoma – and the top 10 compete against each other when they come to Arlington.

Kinser finished second in her region in February with a time of 2.16 seconds – the same mark posted by professional Sarah Angelone of Lipan, Texas, when she won the 2024 American Rodeo breakaway roping championship. Angelone was not among this year’s competitors in Arlington.

The top five finishers in Friday’s competition advanced to the Saturday morning second round/semifinals where they were to be joined by five renowned ropers who were invited to compete and given a first-round bye. Of those 10, the top four  will compete in Saturday afternoon’s championship round.

Kaydence Tindall, of Felda, Florida, had the fastest time among Friday’s top five, roping her calf in 2.20 seconds. She will be joined in the second round by Hali Williams, Comanche, Texas, 2.72; Harley Pryor, Moore Haven, Florida, 2.79; nine-time world champion Lari Dee Guy, Abilene, Texas, 2.80: and Sadie Grant, Santa Maria, California, 2.88.

The invited competitors are five women who topped the 2024 world standings: Kelsie Domer, Martha Angelone (Sarah Angelone’s sister), Josie Conner, Shelby Boisjoli-Meged and Jackie Crawford.

Other American Rodeo events being contested at Globe Life Field this weekend include saddle bronc, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, bull riding, bareback riding, barrel racing and team roping.

Despite her disappointment at not advancing, Kinser said the Globe Life Field experience was a definitive positive for her. While the night did not turn out as she had hoped, she proved that she has the potential to be among the best in the world at this sport. After all, she bested over 200 other hopefuls to reach Arlington.

Not bad for someone who left gymnastics to become a roper just over four years ago.

“I definitely feel it prepared my confidence level for more events like this,” she said. “I feel like I controlled my nerves pretty well. I think it was still a confidence booster.”

For now, she will return to a quieter life as a graduating homeschooled high school senior who works on her family’s ranch north of Capitan, riding, grooming and caring for the animals.

In the fall, she’ll join the rodeo team at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, one of the nation’s renowned college programs.

“I’m excited to go to school, hit some college rodeos and then on to the NFR (National Finals Rodeo),” Kinser said.

She plans to major in business and is already making plans to return to Arlington for another shot at the American Rodeo. After all, those college business courses might come in handy if she takes home the top prize next time.