A Texas House of Representatives adjourned Tuesday without voting on a proposed bill that would ban the storage of high-level nuclear waste in the Lone Star State, leaving a decision on the measure for a future meeting.
The second reading of H.B. 2692, introduced in March by state Rep. Brooks Landgraf (R), was postponed following a motion at Tuesday’s session by state Rep. Cody Harris (R) on behalf of Landgraf. The bill appears on the state House’s supplemental floor calendar for consideration Wednesday.
If it became law, Landgraf’s bill would ban the storage of high-level waste in Texas, but would simultaneously lower state fees related to the storage of low-level waste in the state. Waste Control Specialists (WCS) is currently seeking a federal license to build a consolidated interim storage site for spent nuclear fuel at their existing low-level disposal facility in Andrews County, Texas — which is located in Landgraf’s district.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is responsible for the final decision on whether WCS gets a license for the proposed site. The agency is currently working on an environmental impact statement, a prerequisite for licensing, which it has said won’t be done until the summer.
