Landgraf’s Nuclear Waste Bill Makes it Out of House Committee

The nuclear waste bill that would ban storage and disposal of high level nuclear waste has left the House Committee on Environmental Regulation and goes on to the next step.

According to the Midland Reporter-Telegram, House Bill 2692 as it is known will now head to the House Calendars Committee after being voted out of the House Committee on Environmental Regulation by a vote of 6-2.

Landgraf's bill will ban the storage and disposal of high level nuclear waste which would directly impact Waste Control Specialists in Andrews.

Waste Control Specialists want to expand their existing nuclear waste site to store high-level waste which HB 2692 would impact that directly.

Morse Haynes, Executive Director of the Andrews Economic Development Corporation read support letters from Andrews County officials as well as city officials in support of the bill.

State Rep. Tom Craddick is on the Calendars Committee which is where the bill is now headed said that Landgraf's bill removes the TCEQ's ability to review contracts for the waste entering Texas soil.

“Why would a member of the Texas House support a loss of contractual oversight while at the same time providing the license holder a tax boost?” wrote Craddick.

Landgraf sent a statement to the Midland Reporter-Telegram about Craddick's letter:

“The bill to ban high-level radioactive waste storage in Texas is important to my constituents in Andrews County, and I’m working on this issue for them. While I appreciate and respect Speaker Craddick’s perspective, at the end of the day, my job is to fight for the people I was elected to serve. We received input from a large number of folks with a wide range of perspectives on the bill, and the final product is a good policy for Texas that protects the people of Andrews and the Permian Basin.”

We will see how this all pans out.

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