ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico regulators have approved restarting normal operations at the nation's only underground nuclear waste repository, a major step for U.S. officials aiming to reopen the facility nearly three years after a radiation leak shut it down indefinitely.

Two letters obtained Thursday by The Associated Press outline the state Environment Department's findings from a recent inspection of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

Regulators found two minor permit violations that were addressed immediately, but watchdog groups questioned whether the state's decision was predetermin...