WCS IMPORT EXPANSION BILL BECOMES FINAL

With the deadline for a gubernatorial deadline passing yesterday, Waste Control Specialists can plan for their operational year to shift to begin Sept. 1, with their import capacity expanding at that time to 275,000 curies per year. The Texas legislature reached concurrence in late May on a modified funding bill that was amended at the last minute by WCS supporters in the legislature to save the capacity expansion language. The original expansion bill was killed due to a technical flaw. Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) had until June 16 to either sign the bill, issue a veto, or allow the bill to become law unsigned, and with no action it has become official.

In amendments added to legislation on Texas Compact Commission funding, approved by the Texas state House May 22, WCS’ import limit will be reset at 275,000 curies annually as of Sept. 1, and remain there until the site reaches capacity. In addition to expanding annual import capacity the amendments state that, beginning Sept. 15, 2015, WCS can only accept non-party compact waste if it has been volume-reduced by a factor of three, unless such reduction would cause the waste to be classified as Greater-than-Class-C waste. The 275,000 curie limit is up from the 120,000 curies per year limit in current state law, though it is lower than the 300,000 curies per year that WCS had hoped to secure in its original bill, introduced in February by state Sen. Kel Seliger (R) and brought down May 20 by long-time WCS opponent Rep. Lon Burnham (D). The funding legislation with last-minute amendments was approved in concurrence in the Senate May 24.