Texas eyes taking on nuclear waste

By Matthew Waller
AUSTIN — Texas is poised to consider storing spent nuclear reactor fuel, or high-level radioactive waste, from all over the country.

On Friday, state House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, gave out interim charges to standing committees in the House.

One of his three charges to the House Environmental Regulation Committee read: “Study the rules, laws, and regulations pertaining to the disposal of high-level radioactive waste in Texas and determine the potential economic impact of permitting a facility in Texas. Make specific recommendations on the state and federal actions necessary to permit a high-level radioactive waste disposal or interim storage facility in Texas.”

The setup bothered Tom Smith, the Texas director for the left-leaning watchdog group Public Citizen.

“Every state that has looked at this has decided it’s too dangerous eventually,” Smith said. “The risk is incredibly high. … It’s all risk and very little reward for the state of Texas.”

Even if other states have rejected the measure to bring in high-level radioactive waste, Smith said the measure stands a chance to succeed in Texas because of the powerful special interest behind it.

“Part of reason we’re so concerned is over the last 10 years virtually with every vote on radioactive waste in Texas, the enormous power of the radioactive waste lobby and the donors have been enough to push this legislation through,” Smith said.

Harold Simmons, a billionaire political donor who died in December at age 82, owned Vahli, a trading company that holds Waste Control Specialists. Waste Control Specialists have a low-level radioactive waste facility in Andrews County in far West Texas near the New Mexico border. Low-level waste can include medical waste and resins used at nuclear power plants.

During the last legislative session, state Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, helped carry legislation to allow the facility to take in more waste so it can stay open year-round.

The facility was not in Darby’s district, but Darby said he helped with the bill because it is a West Texas issue.

The WCS-Texas Solution PAC donated $5,000 to Darby in 2013 and $15,000 in 2012. Darby has said the money did not influence him.

Chuck McDonald, a spokesman for Waste Control Specialists, said his organization hadn’t been in touch with the speaker’s office about the high-level facility. McDonald welcomed the chance to begin a dialogue about what Texas can do, not only for national waste but for its own.

He said that in 1982 the federal government said it would handle high-level waste storage, but that hasn’t come to pass, and the federal government has halted permanent storage at Nevada’s Yucca Mountain.

“It’s an issue that needs to be examined … now that the federal government has fallen short on its promise to Texas generators and Texas taxpayers for this high-level issue,” McDonald said.

Texas has six generators — two at universities, and four commercial generators, with two in North Texas and two in south Texas. Waste is stored on-site, he said.

“The initial thought is, we’ve got to solve our own problems in Texas,” McDonald said.

Reprinted with permission from the San Angelo Standard-Times.