West Texas County To Vote On Funding Nuke Site

BETSY BLANEY

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Many folks in a sparsely populated West Texas county actually embraced the idea of opening up a radioactive waste site because it would bring in much needed jobs and tax dollars.

Now that the waste company's asking Andrews County to go a step further and come up with $75 million to pay for a disposal area at the site, Tom and Rhonda Stark aren't so sure.

"We're not sure they should get into the business of being financiers," said Rhonda Stark, adding that the county also shouldn't put "too many eggs" into one project. "This is a very complicated basket and $75 million buys a lot of eggs."

Voters in the county that borders New Mexico will decide Saturday whether to help Dallas-based Waste Control Specialists fund construction of a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility.

If passed, the measure would give county officials the ability to issue the bonds used to purchase $75 million of Waste Control Specialists' assets and lease those back to the company.