Just a couple of days ago Waste Control Specialists (WCS), through its legal mouthpiece Chuck McDonald, announced that WCS was petitioning the Nuclear Energy Agency and the Texas counter part to that agency to allow WCS to store depleted uranium at its West Texas facility. Now you may recall that when WCS began its Waste...I mean, West Texas campaign back in 2008 or so, the spiel was that only "low-level radioactive waste such as medical waste" would be stored the WCS facility in Andrews County. That was ALL they wanted, said WCS. But after the hard fought campaign to get the WCS facility into Andrews County, after all the scare tactics used, such as spreading the fear that Andrews would "die" if the facility was not built, after the facility began operation, we all learned that at least thirty-seven states would be sending their "low-level nuclear waste" to WCS. The state hearings for licensing were pretty much rubber stamped, and the scientists employed by the state walked off their job in protest after their negative report was ignored. But, WCS assured us, only low-level waste would come to West Texas, even though it would be from over thirty states.
Now we fast forward to 2014, and here is WCS asking 1) to allow more (AND MORE DANGEROUS) nuclear waste - depleted uranium, into Texas; and 2) to REDUCE the company's liability fund for cleanups, should an accident occur. Does this smell a little FOUL to anyone? WCS wants to bring in more dangerous waste (MORE PROFIT!) and wants to reduce its liability for the inevitable clean up! Here is WCS's actual request in dollars: Currently the company must have a fund available of $187 million dollars for any clean ups. WCS wants to reduce that amount to $86 million. Sounds reasonable, no? Well, here is a little perspective. Remember the nuclear accident in Japan, the Fukushima nuclear meltdown of 2011? The clean up (which is still ongoing, by the way) has thus far cost upwards of $500 million PER YEAR! Some scientists are predicting that $58 Billion will have been spent by 2030. Clearly WCS is trying to save some more money while making a BIG LOAD of profit.
Does this deal sound reasonable? I don't think so, and neither does State Representative Lon Burnam:
“The public should be paying attention, but they’re not,” said state Rep. Lon Burnam, a Fort Worth Democrat who has taken an active role in monitoring how the state handles radioactive waste. “We have less and less financial assurances and greater threat for more harm.” (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, June 15, 2014)
According to the Avalanche-Journal "Three-Peat Rick" Perry is one of the main allies to WCS in this deal. It was Governor Perry who brought this proposition to the attention of Texas lawmakers. Representative Burnam, a Democrat in the Dallas area, raises a good point. Why is the public not paying attention to this? Why are we allowing WCS to both rip us off AND pollute our state by poisoning the Ogallala Aquifer? In fairness to all of us, WCS pretty much financed its way through the Texas Legislature, but...we (you and I) left most of the state representatives who rubber stamped the original WCS deal in their respective offices. Same with our federal congressmen and senators.
It turns out that WCS also has plans to expand one of its dump sites by over 6 million square feet. This expansion is obviously so MORE waste can be dumped there. Yet WCS is telling us that they do not "believe" they will implement this plan. But more waste is on the way to Texas...do you really believe they will not EXPAND their facility? Then they will tell the "State of Texas" that it would be such a waste NOT to bring in MORE waste to fill the new and deeper hole they dug. I hope you will join me in petitioning our lawmakers NOT TO ALLOW WCS to bring in depleted uranium to their "low level" nuclear waste facility, and NOT ALLOW WCS to reduce its liability fund. The folks at WCS have assured us over and over how safe the facility in Andrews County is. But if that location is so safe, why are they trying to limit their liability? I am pretty sure that someone must have assured the folks in Fukushima about how safe that facility was, and about all the safeguards built in. Yet, three years after the accident, well over ten thousand people cannot return to their homes. Could something like that happen in Andrews? Not "could," but "when?"
Now we fast forward to 2014, and here is WCS asking 1) to allow more (AND MORE DANGEROUS) nuclear waste - depleted uranium, into Texas; and 2) to REDUCE the company's liability fund for cleanups, should an accident occur. Does this smell a little FOUL to anyone? WCS wants to bring in more dangerous waste (MORE PROFIT!) and wants to reduce its liability for the inevitable clean up! Here is WCS's actual request in dollars: Currently the company must have a fund available of $187 million dollars for any clean ups. WCS wants to reduce that amount to $86 million. Sounds reasonable, no? Well, here is a little perspective. Remember the nuclear accident in Japan, the Fukushima nuclear meltdown of 2011? The clean up (which is still ongoing, by the way) has thus far cost upwards of $500 million PER YEAR! Some scientists are predicting that $58 Billion will have been spent by 2030. Clearly WCS is trying to save some more money while making a BIG LOAD of profit.
Does this deal sound reasonable? I don't think so, and neither does State Representative Lon Burnam:
“The public should be paying attention, but they’re not,” said state Rep. Lon Burnam, a Fort Worth Democrat who has taken an active role in monitoring how the state handles radioactive waste. “We have less and less financial assurances and greater threat for more harm.” (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, June 15, 2014)
According to the Avalanche-Journal "Three-Peat Rick" Perry is one of the main allies to WCS in this deal. It was Governor Perry who brought this proposition to the attention of Texas lawmakers. Representative Burnam, a Democrat in the Dallas area, raises a good point. Why is the public not paying attention to this? Why are we allowing WCS to both rip us off AND pollute our state by poisoning the Ogallala Aquifer? In fairness to all of us, WCS pretty much financed its way through the Texas Legislature, but...we (you and I) left most of the state representatives who rubber stamped the original WCS deal in their respective offices. Same with our federal congressmen and senators.
It turns out that WCS also has plans to expand one of its dump sites by over 6 million square feet. This expansion is obviously so MORE waste can be dumped there. Yet WCS is telling us that they do not "believe" they will implement this plan. But more waste is on the way to Texas...do you really believe they will not EXPAND their facility? Then they will tell the "State of Texas" that it would be such a waste NOT to bring in MORE waste to fill the new and deeper hole they dug. I hope you will join me in petitioning our lawmakers NOT TO ALLOW WCS to bring in depleted uranium to their "low level" nuclear waste facility, and NOT ALLOW WCS to reduce its liability fund. The folks at WCS have assured us over and over how safe the facility in Andrews County is. But if that location is so safe, why are they trying to limit their liability? I am pretty sure that someone must have assured the folks in Fukushima about how safe that facility was, and about all the safeguards built in. Yet, three years after the accident, well over ten thousand people cannot return to their homes. Could something like that happen in Andrews? Not "could," but "when?"
No comments:
Post a Comment