Commission lets 36 states dump nuke waste in Texas

[defendandprotect]

Commission lets 36 states dump nuke waste in Texas

By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI, Associated Press Ramit Plushnick-masti, Associated Press – 2 hrs 59 mins ago
HOUSTON – A Texas commission approved rules on Tuesday that pave the way for 36 states to export low-level radioactive waste to a remote landfill along the Texas-New Mexico border.

The 5-2 vote by the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Commission came after last-minute legal maneuvering on Monday failed to delay the meeting, environmentalists warned the dump would pollute groundwater and more than 5,000 people commented on the plan.

The expansion stokes the debate over where — and if — nuclear waste can be dumped in the United States, an argument that has taken on new importance since President Barack Obama vowed to decrease the country's dependence on foreign oil, partly by building more nuclear power plants.

In the end, however, the site's owner, Dallas-based Waste Control Specialists, convinced the commission the West Texas landfill was a secure solution to permanently dump radioactive waste. Until now, the site has only accepted waste from Texas, Vermont and the federal government.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_radioactive_waste

[gateley]

1. Who do these "commissions" work for??? Can't we STOP this shit? nt

[onestepforward]

3. Most of the commission were appointed by Perry.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703808704576062162594317064.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5

-snip-
The controversy was tinged with Texas politics. Opponents say a conflict of interest exists between the commission, most of whose members were appointed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and the site's owner, Waste Control Specialists LLC, whose main investor, Harold Simmons, is a donor to Mr. Perry.

-snip

Harold Simmons helped to bankroll the Swift Boat attacks on John Kerry. He has given Perry $1.12 million over the past decade, including $500,000 in 2010.

[gateley]

6. Thanks. Man, it just stinks. nt

[Javaman]

8. It still amazes me still how he got reelected. nt

[freshwest]

9. We tried to 'stop this shit' by demonstrating to prevent the first nukes from going online in TX.

Because it's SOP for any state that has a nuke to surrender the right to complain about waste being dumped in their state when they are doing it themselves. As long as TX didn't have nuke generators, there was a case to be made.

That being said, there were parts for nukes of the weapons variety being made in the Panhandle. If memory serves, their dangerous materials had to be kept there or more than likely were shipping to states with dumps.

But the regular dumping of large amounts of radioactive waste into a state, as opposed to the lower level radioactive left over from medical uses was prohibited until that first nuke went online. That was a large part of the opposition.

But the protestors were seen as a bunch of tree-hugging hippies and Brown & Root got their way and built STNP and then the nuke generation facility at Comanche Peak was finished and went online. This is just the logical follow up on that process.

Nothing can be done so many years after the decisions have been made and the contracts signed. Many people think whatever provides a few construction jobs and some maintenance jobs makes this all worthwhile, and get very hostile when you bring up all that nit picky stuff.

There were protests from coast to coast to stop anymore of these being built because there are legal consequences to nuclear electrical generation plants. Most of the younger generation have been taught that nuclear energy is green. It's all part of the same system though. This battle was lost decades ago.

[aquart]

2. Well, Texas is so big....

Bet you'll hardly even notice.

[w8liftinglady]

4. oh....some might notice

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/2539107.html

http://downwindersatrisk.org/

[wolfgirl]

5. Radioactive waste may explain

some of the wackiness arising from TX....

[Javaman]

7. "export low-level radioactive waste to a remote landfill along the Texas-New Mexico border."

well, I guess this is the repukes back up plan instead of using a wall.

I love Austin. That's all I'll say.

[aquart]

11. I was about to say: Now THAT's a border fence.

[onestepforward]

10. A critical point to this dump site is location.

Although the exact location is still being debated*, this site sits on or near two aquifers. One is the Ogallala aquifer.

The Ogallala aquifer provides drinking water to 82 percent of the people who live within the aquifer boundary which is approximately 174,000 square miles. In addition, 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. It is one of the world's largest aquifers. (Wiki)




*http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/radioactive-waste-dump-over-ogallala-aquifer

[geek tragedy]

12. Texas gave us Bush and Cornyn and Perry, so this is the rest

of the country returning the favor.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[defendandprotect]

14. Obama is helping finance -- $36 billion -- more nuclear waste ....

We need to END nuclear power plants -- and their WASTE !!!

PLUS, as we continue to see the hazards of Global Warming increasing, we have

to know that it takes 6 months to properly shut down a nuclear power facility.

Even if it took six weeks, where would that leave us?