(Host) Vermont has an agreement to ship its low-level radioactive waste to a proposed facility in Texas.
But 35 other states want to join the agreement. And officials here say they want to make sure that any expansion of the Texas facility doesn’t affect Vermont’s plans for disposing of the state’s waste.
VPR’s Bob Kinzel reports.
(Kinzel) The original low level waste compact included Vermont, Maine and Texas but Maine left the group because it decommissioned its nuclear power plant while the waste facility was still being designed.
The proposed facility is targeted for a remote region of western Texas, and now there’s a plan to construct a much larger site to take low level waste from 35 other states.
So called Class B and C wastes will be sent there. These consist of lower grade resins and materials from the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant and hazardous materials from medical facilities in Vermont.
The decision to expand will be made by the 8 member Compact Commission. Steve Wark is one of Vermont’s two representatives on the panel.
He says he wants to be certain that all of Vermont’s needs are taken care of before any other states are allowed to join the Compact.
(Wark) "If that’s going to happen, we’re working on a rule as Vermont‘s representatives to make sure our interests are protected. So primarily, we want to make sure that physical space is there regardless of what comes in – that is a must-have. It is just not acceptable for Vermont to not have its space protected."
(Kinzel) And Wark says allowing more states to join the Compact could help reduce Vermont’s waste disposal fees.
(Wark) "If there is a financial benefit above and beyond just the simple cost of operating the facility, we believe that Vermont should financially benefit from that if it were to come in."
(Kinzel) Some Texas environmental groups are opposing the expansion. They’re concerned about contamination leaks at a larger facility and they don’t like the idea of transporting more low level waste across the major highways of Texas.
Wark says it’s not clear how the Compact Commission will vote:
(Wark) "There are some members from Texas that support it or at least the concept of importation. There are some that don’t, so it’s difficult to read until the votes are cast. But Vermont is in a pretty good position and our goal as commissioners is to make sure that we get the absolute best protection for Vermonters when it comes to this compact."
(Kinzel) The Commission is scheduled to vote on the expansion plan at their meeting next month.
For VPR News, I’m Bob Kinzel.