That Green Glow Might Not Mean Christmas

Waste Control Specialists LLC made some dangerous headway yesterday in their determination to operate a radioactive waste dump in Andrews County.

Last May, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality gave the Dallas-based company a license to dispose of byproduct material, including waste from uranium mining and nuclear weapons processing. The Commission’s executive director on Tuesday recommended a second license that would allow an increased amount of radioactive material, such as contaminated uniforms and soil, into the West Texas dumping ground. Under the Texas Compact, Maine and Vermont’s low-level radioactive waste would be disposed of here as well.

Geologists and engineers in the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality oppose the recommendation, warning that one water table may be closer than 14 feet to the site, rendering contamination “highly likely.” In spite of these reservations, construction authorized by the first license has already begun to expand the facility. The company president, Rodney A. Baltzer, asserts that the upcoming development won't damage the environment or public health.

Yet as this operation continues under the watchful eye of the same Governor who aided TXU’s $10 billion decision to erect eleven new coal-fired power plants over the next several years and limited public comment on the proposal, it's difficult to rest assured in this company's authority to comment on the distant future of our already fragile environment. A lawsuit from the Sierra Club has already challenged the project, and a 30-day public comment period will help determine the status of the second license.