Texas Governor Greg Abbott has sent a letter to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) opposing construction of a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in Andrews County, Texas.
The facility, proposed by Interim Storage Partners (ISP), would take spent nuclear fuel from around the country and store it on the surface of the Permian Basin.
The Governor urges the NRC to deny ISP's license application, highlighting the unique environmental risk of a terrorist attack that could shut down the world's largest producing oilfield through a major radioactive release.
"The proposed ISP facility imperils America's energy security because it would be a prime target for attacks by terrorists, saboteurs, and other enemies," reads the letter. "This location could not be worse for storing ultra-hazardous radioactive waste. Having consulted with numerous state agencies, including the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Texas Department of Transportation, I urge the NRC to deny ISP's license application."
The Governor's move is being praised by the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition. Executive Director Karen Hadden says importing the highly radioactive waste is a dangerously bad idea.
"If it comes to the desert (just north of Midland/Odessa) where it would stay above ground in dry cask storage, that's an area that has wildfires and earthquakes, intense flooding," said Hadden. "There's no telling what the conditions of this waste would be. And the casks are likely to crack and leak and Texas could get stuck with a very, very contaminated site."
