Texas receives first shipment of federal radioactive waste

The first truckload of radioactive waste from New Mexico arrived at a storage facility in Andrews County, Texas on Wednesday, as environmentalists and local residents raise concerns over the state becoming a haven for the hazardous materials.

Up to 420 truckloads of radioactive waste from the federal government’s nuclear weapons program will be sent to the Waste Control Specialists facility in West Texas over the coming weeks. Though this move has Texas environmentalists up in arms, recent developments suggest the state may be on the path to becoming a major home for radioactive waste. 

Much of the radioactive material currently sits in Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, one of two laboratories where classified work is done regarding the U.S. nuclear weapons program. The transuranic waste, some dating back to the 1940s, consists of items such as clothing, tools and debris which have been contaminated by radioactive elements.

The federal government has been under increased pressure to eliminate the materials from the laboratory's grounds since wildfires came within 3.5 miles of the premises in the summer of 2011. This pressure culminated in an agreement with the state of New Mexico to send the waste elsewhere by June 30. 

Originally, the materials were meant to remain in New Mexico, with the first considered destination being the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant – an underground nuclear waste site near Carlsbad. But a Feb. 14 leak, which exposed 21 workers to radiation, led to the facility's temporary closure and to the federal government seeking out other options.

The radioactive waste will now continue to be shipped to the WCS private collection site in Andrews County, Texas and remain there until the WIPP reopens.

Environmental groups voiced strong opposition to this recent development. Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer rights advocacy group, writes, "If waste outside of the compact’s license can be re-routed to WCS without so much as a 'by your leave' how are Texans to be reassured that all possible care is being taken on behalf of our welfare and well-being?"

This is not the first instance of groups challenging WCS. For years, residents have contended with the influx of waste the facility takes in and its possible environmental impacts.

When the Texas Legislature allowed for waste storage more than a decade ago, the facility was only meant to accept low-level radioactive waste from within the state and Vermont. 

In October 2013, however, a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality staffer wrote, "WCS is presenting that they are going to request to dispose of greater than class c [radioactive waste]. … They are also saying they expect us to approve [depleted uranium] may 2014.” 

Some suggest WCS was able to swiftly expand its waste intake, despite environmental concerns, due to the donations and influential lobbyists of the company's former owner – the late Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons. 

In a letter dated March 28, Texas Gov. Rick Perry wrote that, since the federal government has yet to find a long-term solution to storing the nation's radioactive waste, "We have no choice but to begin looking for a safe and secure solution for HLW [high-level radioactive waste] in Texas."

The letter had an attached report which Perry commissioned from a state environmental agency, stating a waste facility in Texas is “not only feasible but could be highly successful.” 

During the last election cycle, pro-Perry super PACs received more than one million dollars from Simmons.

Speaker of the Texas House Joe Straus put investigating the disposal of high-level radioactive waste in the state on the agenda before the 2015 legislative session begins.

State Rep. Lon Burnam (D-Fort Worth) told the Texas Tribune, “It is so appalling...The way it’s evolved, Texas is going to be the sole repository, which means that decades from now, the state of Texas will be the fiscally responsible agent for dealing with the impacts of any mishaps.”

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