Amarillo Debates Plutonium Production Facility

The Amarillo area is having a debate at the current time over a proposed new plutonium plant. The National Nuclear Security Administration is wanting to build a new facility to research and manufacture plutonium weapon cores. Amarillo is one of the five locations being considered for the new plant.

City officials believe they have a good chance of getting the new facility, because the community already has a nuclear weapons assembly plant. Pantex, which has been assembling nuclear weapons in the area for many years, already stores much of our country's plutonium -- about 12,000 plutonium cores.

Amarillo Mayor Debra McCartt believes it would be an unnecessary risk to pick another site, because the Amarillo area already stores so much plutonium. She said, "The siting of the proposed plutonium facility at another site would require an intolerable security risk for the country with the movement of this stockpile across the nation's highways."

But many in the area disagree. They believe it is a bad idea to move more plutonium into a rich and productive agricultural area. Pantex neighbor Doris Smith said, "The history of the nuclear weapons complex with massive contaminated areas, including contamination of aquifers, lakes, rivers, streams and thousands of acres of land is relentless."

I'm not sure where I stand on this issue, but it is one that Texans should be discussing. The 1,000 new jobs that the facility would bring could really help the area economically, but this is countered by the possible enviornmental dangers.

What do you think? If you have an opinion on this topic, I would really love to hear it, since I may be moving to Amarillo soon.