Thursday, August 21, 2014

Texas: America's New Nuclear Waste Dump

As you may know, Texas recently licensed a storage facility near Andrews, Texas to accept nuclear waste generated in Vermont and Texas under a two-state compact:

http://www.wcstexas.com/facilities/interactive-wcs-facilities-map/


In addition to nuclear waste generated in Vermont and Texas, what else goes there (or might go there)?


Here is a report that Westinghouse is angling for contracts to provide nuclear fuel for the Russian-designed reactors in Eastern Europe:


http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/westinghouse-asks-eu-to-tackle-russian-monopoly-on-nuclear-fuel-/505641.html


Here is another report which includes information about Westinghouse's Urenco USA fuel enrichment facility in Eunice, New Mexico. Apparently they want to nearly triple its capacity:


http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-T-Z/USA--Nuclear-Fuel-Cycle/


Where do you think the waste from all that additional enrichment will go? We can only make so much DU ammunition, so the rest of it may go to the Texas nuclear waste dump ... which is only about 40 miles from the Urenco facility and which partially sits atop the Ogallala Aquifer:


http://nukefreetexas.org/wcs-andrews-waste-dump/


Anyone who has not been asleep for the past several years will recognize that the plans for all the new nuclear facilities in West Texas and New Mexico have been in the works for a long time. And it is a nearly religious dogma at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) that partial permitting is not allowed; that is, you cannot construct a facility under one set of representations when you know from the git-go that you intend to do something else as soon as it is built.


But for some reason ... that dogma was ignored by the geniuses at the newly formed TCEQ Radioactive Materials Division. So now Texas is in line to become America's nuclear waste dump (and actually the world's, if Westinghouse starts selling nuclear fuel in Europe).


Good move, Tex!


Update: Apparently Ukraine will be buying Russian nuclear fuel in 2015 instead of that sold by Westinghouse:

http://thebricspost.com/ukraine-signs-contract-to-buy-russian-nuclear-fuel/#.VG9drovF9VY

That should give Texas at least a little breathing room when it comes to nuke waste.

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