Kansas City, Mo. – To a neighborhood's relief, the federal government is backing off from the idea of making the Bannister Road federal complex a toxic waste storage site after the defense plant there closes.
The idea of storing tons of toxic mercury at the site drew the unanimous objection of the city council over the summer because the facility is in a residential area and also in a flood-plain, raising the possibility of contaminating the water supply.
Councilman John Sharp called making it a waste dump a stupid idea as early as July.
"I guess we could have found a worse location if they could have found a daycare center somewhere and put it right next to it," said Sharp.
When word came that environmental impact studies suggested there were better places to store the waste mercury, councilwoman Cathy Jolly called it "wonderful news."
But now the Department of Energy says environmental impact studies support community concerns, and another piece of government property near Andrews, Texas is better suited for toxic waste storage.