RICHLAND, Wash.-Washington State and the Federal Government have reached an agreement on cleaning up tank waste at the Hanford site.
The agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy, the Washington Department of Ecology and the Environmental Protection Agency announced the agreement following voluntary negotiations that began in 2020.
The agreement sets a realistic and achievable course for cleaning up millions of gallons of radioactive and chemical waste from large, underground tanks at the Hanford Site, according to an Department of Energy press release.
“Our One Hanford team is ready to get down to the business of more fully conducting the tank waste mission resulting in benefits for the environment, the people of Washington state and the nation,” said Brian Vance, Hanford’s DOE manager of the River Protection and Richland Operations offices.
Proposed changes to the cleanup agreement will go out for a 60-day public comment period May 30, during which regional public meetings will be held in both Oregon and Washington.
More information on the public meetings will be available when the comment period begins.
“This agreement will get more tank waste retrieved, treated, and disposed of on schedule and gives us a roadmap for Hanford cleanup through 2040 and beyond,” said Ecology Director Laura Watson.
U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), released the following statement following the new agreement:
“Today’s agreement is an important step forward for the cleanup mission at Hanford and the workers who power that mission. After years of painstaking negotiations, I am pleased that Ecology, DOE, and EPA have finally reached agreement on a path forward for the treatment of tank waste at Hanford.
“I take the federal government’s moral and legal obligation to support Hanford cleanup very seriously, and as Chair of Appropriations, I’ve worked hard to steer record federal funding to Hanford in our spending bills—and to impress upon the Biden administration at every turn that the cleanup cannot be shortchanged. I’m determined to do my part to ensure we can make as much progress as possible while putting the safety and wellbeing of Hanford workers first, so I’ll keep doing everything I can to deliver the resources we need to get it done.”
