Andrews County Locals Debate a Proposed Nuclear Waste Site

High-level nuclear waste might be stored in West Texas and the company behind it, Waste Control Specialists would be the recipients of the profit. Opposition continues to be voiced  against the proposed project. 

While some in the Permian Basin see Waste Control Specialists and Orano’s joint venture, Interim Storage Partners as an economic diversification in Andrews County, most environmentalists and oil and gas industry experts see the proposed interim storage facility plans as risky and detrimental to the area. 

WCS’s initial foray into the high-level nuclear waste business was halted because of financial concerns. But this year they reinitiated their application process with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Temporary storage could easily turn into hundreds of years since the NRC has failed to establish a permanent deep geological repository. Andrews County Judge Charlie Falcon hopes this happens. He says it’s because it will possibly bring in $10 million dollars annually to the county. 

But Tommy Taylor, head of oil and gas development at Fasken Oil and Ranch, says storing high-level nuclear waste is a terrible idea for the Permian Basin’s economy and environment. A single radiation leak could shut down the entire oil and gas production near the booming Odessa/Midland region. 

Mitch Borden / Marfa Public Radio