Texas to become the nation's radioactive dump thanks to Perry

[sonias]

AAS 5/9/10
Texas dump might get other states' radioactive waste

A commission run jointly by Texas and Vermont, with a membership made up mostly of Gov. Rick Perry's appointees, could decide this summer to make Texas the potential resting place for radioactive waste from 36 states.

The decision would benefit a single company, Waste Control Specialists, which is owned by one of Perry's chief donors and has assembled an impressive lobbying roster.

The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission will meet, probably next month, to decide whether Texas can import radioactive waste from outside Texas and Vermont. In a political and geographical peculiarity, the two states are the sole members of the compact, which grew out of federal laws encouraging agreements between states to dispose of the low-level waste.

The commission consists of six Texans, all named by Perry, and two Vermonters.

Low-level waste does not include spent nuclear fuel, waste from nuclear weapons, tailings related to uranium mining and naturally occurring radioactive material.

Most of it is material or hardware from nuclear power plants or syringes, protective clothing, glassware and rags from hospitals and academic labs. The vast majority of it, if sealed in a drum, would be safe enough to sit atop and will lose its radioactivity within a century.

Another commission stacked with Perry appointees selling Texas out for the quick buck. As long as Perry sees more contributions in his pocket from WCS - he's keeping his mouth shut. After all how many voters does he lose in Andrews county?

Harold Simmons is the trash king. He's never turned away any crap from anybody as long as they pay him. And he's in turn lined Perry's pockets with $620,000 since 2001.

:mad: :nuke:

[sonias]

1. West Texas Nuke Dump Hits a Snag

Texas Observer 5/6/10
West Texas Nuke Dump Hits a Snag
Better late than never.

Activists have finally managed to score a victory in the fight to keep Texas from becoming the nation’s dumping ground for nuclear waste. Yesterday, the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission (TLLRWDCC) announced that it was postponing a decision on rules that would guide the import of low-level radioactive waste from out-of-state. The move came after citizens bombarded the compact commission with nearly 2,400 comments and 15 legislators signed onto a letter urging a go-slow approach.

In a statement, the compact commission’s executive director said the May 11th meeting in Andrews, Texas was postponed to give the commission time to "properly consider and respond to each comment."

Critics have accused the 8-member compact commission of rushing import rules without regard to unresolved safety and liability issues. Waste Control Specialists, the Harold Simmons-owned company behind the privatized radioactive waste dump, has made no secret of its plans to eventually ask the compact commission for permission to bring in radioactive waste from the 36 states that currently lack a disposal option.

I hope it really means a victory, but excuse me for feeling like this is another commission Perry can muck with and make them hold off on making this decision until after the election. I don't trust them one bit!

[westtexas07]

10. Defend Texas!

Help us fight the proposed nuclear waste dump! Write your local newspaper(s) and representative(s). Once your letter is published send me a copy and I will put in online at:

http://DontWasteTexas.info

Thanks!

[sonias]

11. Welcome to DU westtexas07!

And thanks for the website info too!

:applause:

:kick:

[boot@9]

12. welcome

from a fellow West Texan.

[mbperrin]

17. Big welcome from another west Texan!

Yes, this needs to be stopped!

[sonias]

2. Nuke Free Texas site

These are the people helping fight the radioactive dump:

nukefreetexas.org





:kick:

[hobbit709]

3. There are some things a whore won't do for money

but Goodhair evidently hasn't found anything yet.

[sonias]

4. True

Perry would sell anything for money. He hasn't had a soul for decades.

[sonias]

5. Texas Legislators stall efforts to expand West Texas nuke dump

San Antonio Current queblog 5/5/10
Texas Legislators stall efforts to expand West Texas nuke dump

A public hearing near the site of what could become a national (if not international) nuclear waste dump in West Texas has been canceled by the still-unfunded Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission. The cancellation came after the agency was overwhelmed with comments on a proposal to start laying out the terms to open the current Texas-Vermont disposal agreement to waste generators beyond the two states.

Those comments ― mostly against the agency's plans ― have included an urging to delay action from consultants to the Vermont Legislature. Texas has agreed to accept the New England state's low-level waste from its lone (leaking) nuclear plant, but any agreements outside that arrangement must be made on a case-by-case basis and pass a majority vote of the TLLRWCC Comissioners.

Yesterday, 15 Texas lawmakers delivered a scolding rebuke to the agency, stating that the agency had failed to consider the economic impact on the state should the privately operated Waste Control Specialists site leak ― leaving the liability (and cost) of clean-up to the state. The legislators also voiced concern about transporting wastes that remain "lethal for tens of thousands of years" by rail and truck across the state.

Note that all 15 legislators are Democrats.

:kick:

[onestepforward]

6. This site is close to, if not right on, the Ogallala Aquifer.

A quickie from Wiki:

"The Ogallala Aquifer, also known as the High Plains Aquifer, is a vast yet shallow underground water table aquifer located beneath the Great Plains in the United States. One of the world's largest aquifers, it covers an area of approximately 174,000 mi² (450,000 km²) in portions of the eight states of South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. It was named in 1898 by N.H. Darton from its type locality near the town of Ogallala, Nebraska.<1> About 27 percent of the irrigated land in the United States overlies this aquifer system, which yields about 30 percent of the nation's ground water used for irrigation. In addition, the aquifer system provides drinking water to 82 percent of the people who live within the aquifer boundary."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogallala_Aquifer


I wonder what New Mexico has to say about this? It's not technically in New Mexico, but it looks like it butts right up to their border. And the other states that depend on this aquifer?

[sonias]

7. New Mexico should absoltuely care too

Once this aquifer is ruined, it's ruined for all the people who depend on this water source.

We never seem to learn from past mistakes.

[sonias]

8. Rudolph's nose won't be only thing glowing around Andrews over Christmas

John Kelso - AAS 5/10/10
Rudolph's nose won't be only thing glowing around Andrews over Christmas

(snip)

But think of the tourism possibilities. We should take advantage of the boycott of Arizona because of the new immigration law there and funnel people here to enjoy the Lone Star State.

How's this for a radiating tourist attraction jingle?

"Going on vacation? Want to grow a second head? "Then blow off Arizona. Come to Texas instead."

Or, for a bumper sticker: "Texas. It glows on ya."

If you thought you didn't like those, here's another one.

"Smelling kinda funny where you live, Bud?
" Send it to Texas. We'll bury your crud."

:spray: And possibly true :(

[BrightKnight]

9. I'm a reluctant fan of nuclear power but there is

a right way and a wrong way to do it. There are places in West Texas where there is no ground water issue. A contaminated aquifer would wipe most west Texas communities off the map. People cannot live without water.

The containers can be hit with a freight train and they will only suffer minor cosmetic damage. There is no chance that anything is going to leak anytime soon. That does not mean that "Train Wreck" can be trusted with them.

I would like to know what they are doing with the millions of tons toxic and radioactive coal ash. Heavy metals do not biodegrade.

[white cloud]

13. Looks like more of Perry Cronies after the cookies jar

http://www.straightstocks.com/market-commentary/uranium-energy-corp-uec-utilizes-strong-advisory-board/

[sonias]

15. If it's dirty

Of course Perry and his crew are up to selling it, extracting it, mining it, blowing it u,p whatever - with no freaking concern about the future, or what it does to our air and water or even people.

[onestepforward]

14. Solar energy is now a lower cost option to nuclear.

Here is an interesting post on it:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x254530

I must admit that I don't know about newer technology as far as storing nuclear waste, but I know I'd really like to see more wind and solar.

[sonias]

16. That is fabulous!

You knew it had to happen. Even if the NYTimes had to add the footnote to the article that the nuclear industry disputes the hell out of this study and didn't get their "equal time". Boo hoo - cry me a river.

On the massive requirements of water use alone - the nuclear industry should die. We can not afford the amounts of water that nuclear power plants require. Especially in Texas. Water is for living things first. Humans, crops, plants etc. Cooling towers in nuke plants - not so much.

And storing the waste - well we still don't have a solution some 50 years after we started using them. The life of spent nuclear fuel is only 10,000 years of radioactivity. So we're never going to see a solution - ever!

The nuclear industry is like the dinosaur - its time has passed. Better to let them be studied in museums and not resuscitated.

Our future is in renewable energies. More efficient energies that are sustainable.

:kick: :woohoo:

[onestepforward]

18. In a recent talk by Van Jones,

he talked about energy accidents and that he has never heard of a "solar spill" or a "wind spill." Bill Maher made the comment about off-shore wind generators, comparing them to oil, saying "If a windmill falls down in the sea, you only hear a splash." Humans make mistakes and accidents will happen.

I still think we can be world leaders in renewable energy and create thousands good-paying jobs too. We can do it!
:hi:

[sonias]

19. Wind spills and solar spills

Sound like more power for us. Peak renewable energy. Ha ha!

:hi:onestepforward

[BrightKnight]

20. .