Stepping into the legal fray, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made his stand at the United States Supreme Court, fiercely opposing what he views as the federal government's unlawful pursuit to store the nation's nuclear waste in the heart of the oil-rich Permian Basin. As reported by the Office of the Texas Attorney General, Texas Solicitor General Aaron Nielson raised this argument before the SCOTUS in defense of the state's position.
The contention revolves around a decision made back in 1987 by Congress, which designated Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as the official site for the country's spent nuclear fuel to be securely stowed away deep underground—a plan the federal government has neglected for decades. Now, in a move met with criticism, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has greenlit private "interim storage projects" like the abovementioned facility slated for the Permian Basin, which Paxton's office says was not authorized by Congress, sending dangerous shipments through densely populated areas, as mentioned by the Texas Attorney General's Office.
"My office argued before the Supreme Court to protect Texas from an illegal plan to send dangerous radioactive materials to the beating heart of America’s energy industry," Paxton stated, articulating the state's fears that the proposed nuclear waste site not only flouts the law but also menaces national security, the environment, and public safety, as per a report by the Texas Attorney General's Office. The risk of accidents or terrorist attacks looms large with the prospect of radioactive material being transported through busy centers such as Fort Worth.
The Supreme Court's decision on the matter remains pending, but the stakes are towering high as Texas pleads with the judiciary to prevent the establishment of this nuclear waste facility atop what is already a vital component of America's energy landscape—its most productive oil field. According to Paxton, the Commission's misstep is inviting untold disaster by failing to follow the law as he asserts, "The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has no lawful authority to irresponsibly dump thousands of metric tons of radioactive nuclear waste on top of the vital oil fields in Texas," as noted by the Texas Attorney General's Office.
