Mexican political parties have joined with greens to oppose a proposed low-level radioactive waste site in Hudspeth County, Texas, near the border with Mexico. Opponents say it would violate a 1983 US-Mexico agreement which creates a zone on both sides of the border that exclude projects impacting the other side.
The site is near Sierra Blanca, Texas, about 15 miles from the Rio Grande River that separates the US and Mexico. Opponents contend that radioactive materials could seep across the border. They will ask the Environmental Cooperation Commission, which was set up under the North American Free Trade Agreement, to intervene in the dispute. In September, President Clinton signed into law a bill allowing Texas, Maine and Vermont to form a tri-state compact to dispose of low level waste generated within their borders. Generators of low level waste in Maine and Vermont would pay stiff fees for the right to ship the material cross country to Texas. The site was licensed by the Texas Natural Resources Commission, which met on 22 October.
