And now:"Save Ward Valley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: I ask - When will they ever learn? Do these people really care so little for our lives, the lives of our children, the very life of this Mother Earth? This insanity must stop!!! We, the people, must be the voice of reason. We, the people, must stop the desecration and destruction of Mother Earth. There are three things--very easy things--each of us can do. #1 Pray--the power of pray is the power of the people. It makes no difference to whom you pray or how; only that you do. #2 Educate--share your knowledge with everyone you know. Print out important messages like the one below and share it with those that do not have e-mail. The more knowledge the people have the stronger they are. #3 Make your voice heard--write those letters, make those calls. Even a couple of strong statements on a postcard will make a difference. I thank Creator for each and every one of you out there and for all of the work that you do. May he watch over you and bless you all the days of your lives. Molly January 22, 1999 Bill may change nuke law Low-level radioactive waste storage in Andrews possible By Greg Harman Odessa American A bill filed last week by state Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, could pave the way for low-level radioactive waste to be stored in Andrews County. Most importantly for Pasadena-based Waste Control Specialists and Utah-based Envirocare of Texas, House Bill 674 would require the state to contract with a private company for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste from Texas, Maine and Vermont. WCS, which operates a storage and treatment facility for hazardous waste in Andrews County, and Envirocare of Texas, which recently applied for a similar permit from the state, both want the right to dispose of low-level radioactive waste. State law makes it illegal for private companies to dispose of radioactive waste in Texas. That responsibility has been assigned to the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority. Gallego�s bill would change that. The bill also proposes to reduce the size, budget and authority of the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority. It would abolish the "box" that has required the state�s "compact" waste to be disposed of in Hudspeth County, opening the rest of Texas as possible sites. And it would allow the contracted company to hold its own license. The bill doesn�t require the proposed compact waste site to be placed in Andrews County, but it could be amended to do so, said WCS executive vice president Ron Hance. Hance said he suspects that an amendment will be added to the bill that would "box," or limit, radioactive waste disposal to Andrews County when the legislation reaches conference committee later in the session. "With an amendment, you could put that box in easily," he said. Rick Jacoby, general manager for the Texas Low-Level Waste Disposal Authority, warned that an "unintended consequence" of the bill might include opening the state to a wider variety of radioactive materials from states other than the three compact states. "Texas went through a lot of trouble to shut the door (on that waste) by forming the compact," said Jacoby. Other wastes that the contracted company could dispose of include waste from the U.S. Department of Energy, uranium mining and the domestic oil and gas industry, he said. The bill also would reduce the staff at the Authority, Jacoby said. The staff would probably be compensated by an increase of staff at the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, he said. John Kyte, an attorney representing WCS, said WCS officials had contributed to the contents of the bill. "Representative Gallego was interested in drafting a bill that would allow the compact to be moved," said Kyte. "We�re happy to see it introduced." Gallego said HB 674 was not tailored specifically for the waste industry, but was inspired by "bits and pieces" from various entities, including environmental interests. "I�ve allowed anybody who had an interest in this to bend my ear a little," he said. But Gallego�s primary interest was to move the proposed low-level radioactive waste site away from Hudspeth County � and out of his district, he said. Andrews County is welcome to the compact site if it wants it, he said. "I don�t have a problem with Andrews County. If you have a willing buyer and a willing seller, it�s a deal," he said. Hudspeth County is a willing seller and Andrews County may be that willing buyer, he said. "We�ve spent about $50 million as a state and we don�t have anything to show for it," so it is time to "let private enterprise have a chance at it," Gallego said. WCS sought and failed to overturn the state restriction on private companies in 1995, but was rejected by the Texas Legislature. After pressing its argument in the U.S. District courts, WCS� case finally was rejected by a federal appeals court in May of 1998. A favorable ruling would have allowed the company to bid on DOE waste. Dan Morales, then the attorney general, termed the suit an attempt to "dictate waste management policy" and "evade Texas law." Kyte said Morales� arguments were rejected by the court. "WCS has never sought to avoid state law or state regulation," he said. The WCS lawsuit is awaiting trial in Federal District Court in Wichita Falls, Kyte said. Save Ward Valley 107 F Street Needles, CA 92363 ph. 760/326-6267 fax 760/326-6268 http://www.shundahai.org/SWVAction.html http://earthrunner.com/savewardvalley http://www.ctaz.com/~swv1 http://banwaste.envirolink.org http://www.alphacdc.com/ien/wardvly4.html http://www.greenaction.org
