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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Thursday, December 2, 1999
Envirocare's VP defends Barstow dump plan
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Dec. 2, 1999 - The vice president of a company seeking to build
a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility 14 miles northeast of Pecos
was in town on Wednesday to deliver a copy of the company's proposal to
Town of Pecos City officials and to present the company's side of the current
dispute.
Envirocare of Texas has filed a license application with the Texas Department
of Health for a long-term storage facility for low-level radioactive waste.
It would be built eight miles northeast of Barstow in Ward County, and
Rick Jacobi, vice president and general counsel for the company, was in
town to discuss plans for the site and to address concerns over its safety.
Resolutions have been passed by Reeves County, the Town of Pecos City,
the Red Bluff Water Power Control Board and the city of Grandfalls in opposition
to the site, but Jacobi said he had spoken with several individuals in
Barstow and Ward County, and found that many were all for the facility.
"It will create jobs and help the economy," said Jacobi.
The site selected is north of Barstow near the Loving County line, on
land owned by John Forrester. "The good thing about this site is that no
water flows into the Pecos River," said Jacobi. He said the runoff at the
site flows towards Soda Lake, a low spot just north of FM 2355.
Jacobi said the company has spent months testing and evaluating potential
locations in West Texas for a suitable site that meets and exceeds all
the requirements for an above ground storage facility. The Barstow site
was chosen due to the absence of an underground aquifer.
"We ran many tests and there is no water," said Jacobi.
"The West Texas area possesses every quality of a suitable location
for our facility. We want to build a safe, economically beneficial business
in Ward County," Jacobi said. "The issue of meeting all state and federal
requirements is not something we take lightly and we will, as we always,
have, make the safety of the community our top priority."
Jacobi said Envirocare plans to build their own road leading to the
facility and will enter into an interlocal agreement to provide emergency
services with either Ward County or Reeves County, should it be needed.
Earlier reports indicated Envirocare's agreements would be for services
out of Monahans, which is more than twice the distance from the site as
Pecos. Emergency services in the Barstow area are traditionally provided
out of Pecos, using Reeves County Hospital.
"If there were to be an accident, it would be nothing more than a normal
industrial accident," said Jacobi.
One of the recommendations made by Ward County Judge Sam Massey was
that Envirocare establish a hazardous treatment section of Ward Memorial
Hospital.
"It's really not even necessary," said Jacobi.
The company also said in response to Massey that Envirocare has provided
an emergency plan in conjunction with the licensing of the facility. It
outlines cooperation with local emergency responders including fire, law
enforcement and medical facilities.
"Even though the safety procedures that we will institute at the facility
will eliminate the possibility of any serious accidents, we are committed
to providing training to the doctors and staff of the Ward Memorial Hospital
in dealing with the range of possible emergency conditions that might arise
at the facility," according to Jacobi.
Envirocare of Texas is a subsidiary of Envirocare of Utah, and Jacobi
said, "In almost 12 years of operations in Tooele County (Utah), Envirocare
has never had a radiation exposure accident. Furthermore, the waste that
will come to Ward County will come in sealed steel containers and will
not be directly handled by our employees. This will further decrease the
possibility of a serious accident."
He added that if it's shielded and handled correctly, the waste that
will be coming in would not be harmful.
As far as what would be brought to the site, Jacobi said, "Some parts
of reactors will be transported to the facility, but not spent fuels."
They include pipes, valves and items such as this, but not spent fuels.
"Spent fuels are kept on site or shipped to Yucca Mountain in Nevada,"
he said, where the federal government is currently doing tests before building
a high-level waste facility.
Jacobi stated that radioactive waste decays over time and that irradiated
metal parts are short-lived.
"But not just because it's long-lived, does it mean it's harmful," said
Jacobi. He added that radioactive items already being transported through
the area, for commercial use in El Paso.
He said the permitting process could take 18-24 months before construction
could begin. Once operational, Jacobi anticipates annual support to Ward
County would begin with approximately $250,000 in the first year.
The main office would likely be located in Monahans or Barstow and the
facility would generate about 100 jobs. "To start off with, like any new
business, we would begin with about 30 jobs," said Jacobi. "And as business
grows and we get more business, we will add jobs, eventually making it
a bigger operation."
Beginning salary for laborers and mechanics would be anywhere from $10-$14
an hour and for skilled workers, such as lab employees and physicists,
starting salaries would be well above $50,000 a year.
Life expectancy of the facility has been set for about 40 years, according
to Jacobi.
Envirocare would be overseen by the Texas Department of Health. "They
will monitor the facility," he said.
Envirocare of Texas applied to build the facility to allow Texas to
meet its interstate requirements to manage low-level radioactive waste
generated in the State of Texas, Maine and Vermont. The Compact agreement
was originally signed by the State of Texas to protect the state from being
forced to accept large amounts of waste from numerous states and limit
the type of waste tat will be imported for disposal or long-term storage.
Initially, Texas planed to bury the waste underground at a site north
of Fort Hancock in Hudspeth County. That location was moved to a site southeast
of Sierra Blanca in 1991 following a lawsuit filed by El Paso County, and
last year a state committee and Gov. George W. Bush rejected the Sierra
Blanca site due to underground fault lines in the area.
Despite the failure of legislation designed to clarity the state's current
policy on low-level radioactive waste disposal in Texas earlier this year,
Envirocare can move ahead with the proposed facility because it is classified
as a long-term storage facility.
According to Jacobi, the proposed storage facility will be an above
ground concrete vault housing concrete canisters. This new technique allows
for easy accessibility for inspection and maintenance while preserving
future options for removal or burial. Remotely operated visual inspection
devices equipped with television camera monitor the interiors of the vault,
insuring the safety of workers and the public.
Aside from checking for the absence of an aquifer, other tests were
performed for vegetation, water samples and soil. "The Health Department
will also perform tests and make sure everything is okay, according to
Jacobi.
If the facility is approved it will be the year 2002, before it is in
operation.
"This is a very controversial business," said Jacobi.
The storage facility will be the first of its kind in Texas and one
of the first in the country. This storage method, sometimes referred to
as assured isolation, is the newest means of storing low-level radioactive
waste in over 25 years and is preferred by regulatory and environmental
groups.
Man who shot at agent linked to earlier death
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
Dec. 2, 1999 - The investigation of a man who shot at a U.S. Border
Patrol Agent south of Valentine last week has determined that he is wanted
on a charge of murder, which occurred in Nevada on Nov. 12, according to
the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The suspect, whose true identity is Shaun Michael Kane, had initially
identified himself to authorities as Brian Lee Taylor. Kane is being held
in the Presidio County Jail.
Marfa Police Chief Oscar Carrillo first encountered the man on Saturday,
Nov. 20, after a registration check on the 1996 Dodge Ram pick-up came
back as a stolen vehicle from Lamb County. The suspect led Carrillo on
a high-speed chase that ended when the man crashed through a fence south
of Marfa on Highway 67. A search by Border Patrol Agents, Presidio County
Sheriff's Deputies, Department of Public Safety troopers and Marfa Police
Offices was called off after nearly three hours when the man could not
be located.
Border Patrol Agents then encountered the suspect in the early morning
hours of Monday, Nov. 22, near the Aerostat balloon site south of U.S.
90 between Marfa and Valentine.
A Border Patrol agent approached the suspect when he fled on foot. The
agent pursued the suspect for about a mile and a half through an open pasture.
The suspect then stopped, pulled out a handgun and began firing at the
agent, who agent returned fire before the suspect again fled. Neither was
injured in the exchange.
Law enforcement officials from various agencies contained the suspect
until Border Patrol air and ground tracking operations could commence when
daylight broke. The tracking operation was supported by other law enforcement
agencies and was under the personal direction of Chief Patrol Agent Simon
Garza, Jr.
"Nothing will provoke a quicker response from me than an assault on
one of my agents," said Garza.
The suspect was eventually found near a ranch house and was apprehended,
then taken to the Presidio County Jail in Marfa.
The case was turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation pending
additional charges. During the initial processing of the suspect, it was
learned that the suspect had a lengthy criminal background, including multiple
arrests for burglary, possession of a controlled substance, shoplifting,
grand theft auto, possession of burglary tools, trespassing, possession
of stolen property and resisting a public officer. The suspect also has
an outstanding warrant for a murder in Nevada that occurred on Nov. 12.
An initial appearance was held in Federal Court in Alpine on Monday.
The subject was charged with assault and attempting to kill a Federal Officer
engaged in official duties. More charges are being considered by the U.S.
Attorney's office for presentation to the next grand jury.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Parras will handle the prosecution out
of U.S. District Court in Pecos.
Fire destroys upstairs of Elm St. home
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Dec. 2, 1999 - A fire caused part of the upstairs area of a
house on South Elm Street to collapse, but no one was injured in the early
morning blaze.
The fire broke out about 5:15 a.m. in the center area and on the second
floor of the house at 801 S. Elm St., according to fire chief Roy Pena.
"It did damage to the center area and the upstairs," Pena said. "The guy
also has an additional roof and we couldn't get to it (the fire), so we
had to go in from another side.
The upper floor was accessible from the outside only through two small
windows and a vent area. Firemen used a Texas-New Mexico Power Co. bucket
truck to get up to one window, and used the roof of the house's carport
to spray water in from the other side.
Pena said by the time they arrived at the house, going after fire from
inside was impossible.
"The fire burned through the center of the house and in the upstairs
area where there was a bathroom. The commode fell through and the tub was
coming down, so that was a real danger to them from the second floor,"
he said. "The stairway that was there had holes burned all around it when
the commode fell."
A father and son inside the house when the fire began were able to get
out unharmed, Pena said.
Along with the fire damage, smoke poured out of other parts of the second
floor of the house for about 40 minutes after firemen arrived. The fire
was brought under control about 6:20 a.m., and fire trucks were at the
site for about 90 minutes overall.
Town of Pecos City Fire Marshal Jack Brookshire will investigate the
cause of the fire. He was unavailable for comment late this morning.
The fire was the second emergency call to the same area of central Pecos
in a five-hour period. Firemen and ambulance attendants were called out
to stand-by in the 800 block of South Cedar Street just after midnight
following a report of a possible gas leak on the block.
`Christmas' group seeking toys, cash to help 248 kids
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Dec. 2, 1999 - Organizers of a group aimed at providing a warm
and happy Christmas for children in Pecos have already been working hard
to make their dream a reality.
Christmas for the Kids, an organization aimed at bringing warmth and
happiness to as many children as possible, has already had several fundraisers
to go towards their efforts.
"Our barbecue fundraiser was a total success," said Sofia Baeza, one
of the organizers for the group, which raised about $1,000 on Nov. 13,
with the fundraiser. A door-to-door drive held on Nov. 20, also proved
successful, with about $1,600 in funds raised.
"We want to thank everyone in the community who helped us during the
barbecue, the door-to-door drive and who donated so generously," said Baeza.
Baeza said that the group's goal is to raise about $5,000 to provide
Christmas gifts for the children on their list.
In 1998, the group helped 162 families and a total of 416 children.
"Right now we have about 248 children on the list, but expect more, applications
are coming in rapidly," said Baeza.
Those who would like to be recipients of Christmas for Kids presents
can pick up applications at the Reeves County Sheriff's Office. The deadline
to pick up an application is Friday afternoon.
"We already processed about 107 of the applications and have plans for
those children," said Baeza.
Contributions are still being accepted and welcomed. "We always need
all the help we can get, because we get some in at the last minute, that
absolutely need a warm Christmas," said Baeza. "We don't want to disappoint
anyone."
She added that all the businesses and the community have been very helpful.
"We appreciate all the help we receive from everyone," she said.
The gifts will be delivered to the children on Dec. 17.
Christmas for the Kids provides the essentials that children need and
should have in our community, according to Baeza.
The group not only provides toys for the needy, but essential items
such as shoes, clothing, jackets and more.
"We're also accepting good used coats, jackets, sweaters or shirts,"
said Baeza. "Our main goal is to make sure all the children are warm this
winter."
For more information on the program call 445-4901.
Enterprise seeking letters to Santa
PECOS, Dec. 2, 1999 - The deadline to submit Christmas letters to Santa
to be published in the Pecos Enterprise is Monday, Dec. 13. The letters
will be printed in a special section of the paper on Wednesday, Dec. 22.
Letters should either be brought into the Enterprise office, at 324
S. Cedar St., or mailed to P.O. Box 2057, Pecos, Tx.., 79772. Office hours
are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Lotto
AUSTIN (AP) - Results of the Lotto Texas drawing Wednesday night: Winning
numbers drawn: 15-19-25-26-30-43. Estimated jackpot: $13 million. Number
matching six of six: 0 Matching five of six: 108. Prize: $1,356. Matching
four of six: 4,656. Prize: $113.
***
AUSTIN (AP) - The winning Pick 3 numbers drawn Wednesday by the Texas
Lottery, in order: 0-7-0 (zero, seven, zero)
Obituary
Juanita Waggoner
Juanita Waggoner, 80, of Eunice, N.M., died Tuesday, Nov. 30, 1999, in
Eunice.
Services will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, Dec. 3, at First Baptist Church
in Eunice with Pator Keeney Dickenson of First Baptist Church of Eunice
officiating. Burial will be in Brunson Memorial Cemetery.
She was born May 16, 1919, in Stone County Ark., was homemaker, a member
of Fist Baptist Church in Eunice, had taught Sunday School for many years
and devoted her life to her family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband Ted Waggoner on Aug. 7, 1981;
and three brothers and five sisters.
Survivors include two sons, Ernest Waggoner of Fort Stockton, Freddie
Waggoner of Eunice, N.M.; two daughters, Wanda Ross of Locust Grove, Okla.,
Beth Bray of Seguin; two sisters, Mary Jane Cole of Hobbs, N.M., Edna Combs
of Chouteau, Okla.; eight grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers memorial contributions be
made to Vista Care Family Hospice.
Weather
High Wednesday 81. Low this morning 42. Forecast for tonight: Partly cloudy.
Low near 40. Windy during the early evening, with west winds 20-30 mph,
diminishing to 10-20 mph late. Friday: Partly cloudy and breezy. High around
70. West to Southwest wind 15-25 mph. Friday night: Partly cloudy. Low
in the mid 30s.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 1999 by Pecos Enterprise
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