Hanford waste dumping will be scaled back
The federal government promised yesterday to immediately stop dumping radioactive garbage into unlined dirt trenches at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, and agreed to send much less waste there than originally proposed.
The decision by the U.S. Department of Energy ended more than six years of planning and debate over how much low-level radioactive and toxic waste will be imported to the Eastern Washington site.
Watchdog groups and Washington State regulators have criticized plans to bring thousands of truckloads of waste to Hanford, most of it for permanent disposal, arguing that it undermines a multibillion-dollar cleanup and poses new health and environmental risks.
Officials with the Energy Department said they've tried to allay those fears.
"We've taken very seriously their concerns," said Jessie Roberson, the agency's assistant secretary in charge of cleanup. "We really are focused on, and committed to, the cleanup of Hanford."
Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., applauded the decision to stop using unlined trenches for disposal.
"Today's announcement ... represents an incredible and long-fought victory for the people of Washington state," Inslee said. "There is no reason we should continue to dump radioactive wastes in unlined fills, particularly at Hanford where there is a track record of groundwater contamination ending up in the Columbia River."
Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire, however, wasn't satisfied with the federal plan.
"There should be no more shipments to Hanford until waste improperly stored at the site is cleaned up," Gregoire said. "Until (the Energy Department) has demonstrated the commitment and capacity to clean up the contamination already at Hanford, they should not ship additional waste."
Continue reading this story from the Seattle P-I:
Hanford waste dumping will be scaled back
To learn more about Hanford issues, please visit these Earth Share of Washington members:
Heart of America NW Research Center
Government Accountability Project
