Atari dig put on hold in Alamogordo by state agency

A state agency has put the kibosh on a planned excavation of an old city landfill so two companies can look for old video game cartridges.

The New Mexico Environment Department said in a letter that a waste excavation plan was "generic" and lacking in site specific details, among other deficiencies.

"No one is allowed to dig until the WEP is approved by the [Solid Waste and Ground Water Bureau]," Jim Winchester, a spokesman for the New Mexico Environment Department said. "A WEP must be approved in advance of any excavation and that includes even the city of Alamogordo."

Winchester said the WEP requires approval by the Solid Waste Bureau before any work can start.

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