AP News, May 10th, 2007
A West Texas county where jobs hinge on radioactive waste could soon open the doors to another volatile substance: alcohol.
Voters in Andrews County, which borders New Mexico, will decide Saturday whether to allow beer, wine and liquor sales.
Andrews County is home to a storage site for some 45,000 tons of Cold War-era radioactive waste, and the county also wants to be the site of a proposed $400 million high-temperature test nuclear reactor.
Opponents of allowing alcohol say the economic benefits won't offset the increases in domestic violence, prostitution and drugs that they say come with bars and package stores. And the idea of mixing liquor with hazardous materials puts them on edge.
"What company wants you to drink all night and work with radiation all the next day?" said Ellen Hoffman, a member of the Keep Andrews Dry coalition.
Tommy Hester, part of the supporters' Proactive Citizens of Andrews County, said he doesn't think alcohol sales and nuclear industry jobs are "even remotely related." He said the rationale for going wet is "totally economic" and that the county needs to get with the times if it's going to keep workers.
"We're growing, but I think we need this outlet as a choice for people," Hester said. "I simply see this as something that our county's going to need if we're going to come into the 21st century."
The city of Andrews, population 10,000, is about 30 miles east of the New Mexico border and 95 miles southwest of Lubbock.
