Tx. Could Receive Nuclear Waste from 36 States

by | May 24, 2010

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Texas could become the repository for low-level nuclear waste from 36 states, according to a report in the Associated Press.

According to a rule change proposed by the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission, the state could accept radioactive materials such as glass, metal and clothing used at power plants, research centers, and medical facilities throughout the country at a storage facility in West Texas. The 1,340-acre site, located in Andrews, Tx., is run by Waste Control Specialists.

Local opposition to the rule change has come from the Texas chapter of the Sierra Club, which successfully pushed the state legislature to delay its decision on the rule change until at least June. According to a presentation created by Texas Nuclear Safety, an organization opposing the rule change, the amount of waste at the facility could increase up to 19 times.

Currently, the site is the repository for waste from Vermont. Fifteen members of the Texas state legislature have signed a statement opposing the rule change.

According to the report, the state receives 5 percent of the gross receipts earned by Waste Control Specialists for storing the materials.

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