The sole provider of low-level nuclear waste disposal in the state sits in Andrews, Texas, on 1,338 acres of red clay.
The clay and 7 ft. of concrete and reinforced steel are what Waste Control Specialists say will protect the environment from the 2 million cubic tons of waste WCS is allowed to store above it.
But that number just went way up, and the legal liability of the company -- should the company fold -- just went way down.
Waste Control Specialists had major victories yesterday.
First the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved a permit change allowing the business to dispose up to 9 million cubic feet of low-level radioactive waste, expanding their volume by more than three times. TCEQ also let WCS reduce its legal liability to the state to less than half.
Finally, TCEQ quashed hearings on the disposal site changes that had been requested by state Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth.
West Texas is poised for more radioactive waste.
Guests:
- State Rep. Lon Burnam.
- Kathy Hadden, executive director of the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition.
- Chuck McDonald, spokesman for Waste Control Specialists
*This is the first segment in the August 21 edition of The Source, which airs at 3 p.m. on KSTX 89.1 FM.
