WCS files suit

The owners of an Andrews County radioactive waste dump have filed suit against the president of the recently formed Save the Ogallala Aquifer organization.

Waste Control Specialists filed suit Monday against Adam Greenwood in 109th District Court in Andrews, according to a Waste Control news release. The lawsuit seeks to recover damages from "false and disparaging" statements made in media interviews and on his organization's website.

The company claims that Greenwood, a New Mexico attorney, has raised "unwarranted" concerns about the drinking water in the aquifer.

Tom Jones, Waste Control vice president for community relations, said a 2006 major aquifers map published by the Texas Water Development Board, shows that the Ogallala Aquifer doesn't extend onto Waste Control property and doesn't threaten any underground drinking water supply, which goes against claims Greenwood has made.

The suit also seeks to determine what entities are funding Greenwood's campaign.

In a statement, Greenwood said his organization makes no false claims, and isn't making claims at all, just raising questions.

"WCS cannot sue its way out of answering these and other questions about water quality," he said. "And the need for certain answers is all the more pressing considering WCS is not required to make a long-term commitment to the safety of the dump. If the dump is contaminated, the responsibility ultimately would fall back on Texas taxpayers."