Waste Control Specialists (WCS), owned by Harold Simmons and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, operates a site in Andrews County on the border with New Mexico. The company was awarded a license to dispose of radioactive waste by the TCEQ in 2009. The permit allows for disposal of radioactive materials such as uranium, plutonium and thorium from commercial power plants, academic institutions, and medical schools. The company finished construction on the project in 2011 and started disposing of waste in 2012. Two radioactive waste landfills are at the site. The 30-acre compact site is owned and regulated by the State of Texas for use by Texas, Vermont, and up to 36 other states. The 90-acre federal site is owned by the United States federal government and is used for Department of Energy and other federal waste. The company employs 130 people or about 1% of the total labor force in Andrews.