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By: J Truman
September 26, 1996
A surprise announcement today by Envirocare of Utah that it had formed a sister company in Texas and was applying to Texas authorities for a license to treat and dispose of low-level radioactive and mixed radioactive and hazardous waste, has dramatically changed the nature of the debate over nuclear waste in West Texas. Before today's announcement there were two separate proposals pending for low-level nuclear waste disposal facilities in West Texas, now there are three. With all three being serious proposals, and with the history of laxness on the part of Texas regulators, there is a good chance West Texas could become a virtual national strip-mall for low-level radioactive waste dumping.
The first of the three proposals for disposal of low-level nuclear waste in West Texas is the smallest of the three, and has been the hardest fought. It is a proposal for a dump site near the West Texas town of Sierra Blanca, less than 50 miles from the Texas-Mexico border. It would serve as the disposal site for commercial waste generated by a three state compact made up of Texas, Vermont, and Maine. Currently the compact agreement itself is awaiting final approval by the United States Congress, where it has faced a difficult time, having failed once .
The compact disposal site would eventually contain a little over 100,000 tons of rad-waste, and would be under the control and administration of the three compact members, as well as Texas and Federal regulators. Of the three proposals it would, by its nature, faces the toughest regulation and oversight. Its proposed size is less than 10% of that for the proposed Waste Control Specialists site, yet it has faced the strongest opposition to date.
The Sierra Blanca site has been met with considerable opposition from the surrounding communities, from officials and government agencies in near by El Paso, environmental and anti-nuclear groups, and from government leaders of the Mexican states bordering that part of Texas. Greenpeace has staged protests over the proposed compact site in Mexico City, the Nuclear Information and Resource Service NIRS has vigorously fought the proposal in Congress. The most extensive opposition though has come from the grass roots Save Sierra Blanca lead by store owner Bill Addington , who has called the dump proposals an attempt to turn "West Texas into a national toilet"
The second proposal pending for a low-level waste dump is that of Waste Control Specialists WSC, a company based in Pasadena, Texas. Its site is proposed for Andrews County along the Texas-New Mexico border. Its proposed rad-waste dump would exceed 12.5 million tons, over ten times that of the proposed Texas Compact facility.
Waste Control, both at the company's homepage and in its materials passed out at various nuclear waste meetings, makes it plain it plans on turning its Andrews County site into a major, if not the major national low-level waste site. It also has extensive plans to build a vast industrial and research park next to its facility and is actively recruiting additional business partners for its operation
Already WCS has formed a joint-venture partnership called, Greenhill Technology with Battelle Memorial Institute to research and develop waste related technology at a 100 acre site next to its Andrews facility. In addition, according to its future plans outlined at its homepage, WCS is currently developing partnerships with a number of nuclear waste related interests including; TRW, Westinghouse SEG, Lockheed Martin, and Molten Metals. It is interesting to note that most of these currently have contracts for clean up of radioactive problems at a number of Department of Energy (DOE) sites ranging from the INEL in Idaho to Oak Ridge.
The entire nature of the rush to get the first West Texas nuclear dump took a drastic change September 26 when the Utah based Envirocare announced it had formed a sister company, Envirocare of Texas, and had applied for a license to enter the low-level waste business. The new Envirocare company applied to the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) for a license to treat and dispose of low-level radioactive waste and mixed radioactive and hazardous waste.
According to a press release obtained by Testing News, the parent company in Utah currently "possesses licenses from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the State of Utah for the commercial treatment and disposal of certain low-level wastes." The press release also states that since 1989, "This facility receives wastes for treatment and disposal primarily from government and private cleanup remediation efforts."
Envirocare listed on its press release as its reason for opening a Texas facility was that, "Because Envirocare has determined that it may not be possible to expand the waste streams that are acceptable for disposal at the Utah facility, the Company has looked across the country to find the best site to expand its capabilities and has found what appears to be an appropriate site in Andrews County, Texas"
Unlike the approach WCS has taken that it does not have to win full state approval for its proposed waste operations, only approval from the Department of Energy, that of Envirocare could not be more different. It plans, and has announced it will follow all state guidelines and process and considers itself bound to obtain all relevant state permits and licenses. It also vowed, as it has done repeatedly in Utah, to follow an open public process with hearings and public in put. Taking this stand opens the way for a heightened debate over the whole issue of nuclear waste storage and puts WCS at a marked disadvantage do to Envirocare's extensive experience in managing an open public process.
The entry of Envirocare into the West Texas nuke dump race is a major and significant development. Unlike WCS it is not just taking its first plunge into the rad-waste business. It has over ten years experience and unlike many companies now in the field, it has a stable financial base. Because of these factors Envirocare can, and no doubt will wage an aggressive campaign to get the dump first. The battle between the two companies is likely to make the issue of low-level waste disposal in West Texas a major state wide issue. It also raise the chances that without just an aggressive campaign by the residents of Texas against these proposals, they run the real risk of becoming America's nuclear waste strip mall.