This Saturday a group gathered in Midland to protest a proposal to bring in high-level radioactive waste possibly through Midland.

“People need to know the risk of high-level radioactive waste,” says Karen Hadden, the Executive Director of the SEED Coalition. “Waste Control Specialist wants to bring in 40 thousand tons, of the most radioactive waste.”

WCS is located in the western part of Andrews County. Protestors say they aren’t just worried about the radioactive waste. A big problem they say is how it could get there: on the tracks right through Midland.

“It’s very likely that the waste would come on this route,” says Hadden. “It was part of the routes designated where there was a Yucca Mountain repository.”

At the protest was also Kerstin Rudek  from Gorleben, Germany. She said she understood this problem first hand, after her town became a hotspot for high-level nuclear waste decades ago.

“The caste of high-radioactive waste will bring cancer to your communities, and other very serious illnesses,” says Rudek.

Radioactive waste has always been a topic of controversy. But on Saturday protesters showed what side they’re on with this issue.

“This could be billions of dollars. It could contaminate the whole region, it could get into water, and into the oil fields. We don’t want that happening,” says Hadden.

The group says that people have until October 19th to voice their concern to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regarding the possible transportation of nuclear waste.