American Notes

As much as Texans like to brag, their state has one distinction that few are proud of: it is the nation's leading producer of hazardous waste. Some 11,000 Texas businesses generate 70 million tons of the stuff annually. But last week Texas became the first state to ban temporarily the development of new commercial disposal sites for such waste and to stop the expansion of existing ones. "No more will hazardous-waste facilities be rammed through the permit process over the objections of local communities," said Governor Ann Richards. "No more will they be located near schools or residential areas."

Last year the U.S. produced an estimated 350 million tons of hazardous waste, and the disposal industry generated about $4 billion in revenues. The ; Texas decision highlights the nation's growing concern about how to balance industry's needs with the environmental impact of waste disposal. Alabama, New York, and North and South Carolina are also debating their policies on hazardous waste.