TEXAS, USA — State Representative Brooks Landgraf has filed a bill, prohibiting the storage and disposal of high-level waste in Texas.
Landgraf expresses how House Bill 2692 will keep high-level radioactive waste out of the oil patch.
“Texas will not be a dumping ground for the rest of the country. Passing HB 2692 will ensure that high-level radioactive waste is kept out of the oil patch and out of West Texas.”
This statement comes after the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission began considering an application to allow for the storage of high-level radioactive waste at a disposal facility in Andrews County.
State Representative Brooks Landgraf goes on to express how he and his constituents are on board with low-level storage of waste, but the concern widens with high-level waste storage.
“My constituents are on board with low-level storage, as used rubber gloves and hospital gowns provide little reason for concern. But high-level radioactive waste, like spent nuclear fuel, is a horse of an entirely different color. I filed HB 2692 for those who live and work in Andrews and the Permian Basin, and for all Texans, so that highly radioactive is not brought to or disposed of in our West Texas communities.”
The bill not only addresses the banning of high-level storage of high-level radioactive waste but also makes necessary changes to the law to ensure the facility provides an economic benefit to Andrews County and the State of Texas into the future as it continues to store low-level materials in a safe and efficient manner.
