Washington State likely to sue federal government over Hanford
SEATTLE, July 8 -- The states of Washington and Oregon announced Thursday that they will sue the federal government if it continues to refuse to assess the environmental damage caused by decades of bomb making at the Hanford nuclear site in eastern Washington.
The states say that although the Department of Energy spends $2 billion a year to clean up its leaking plutonium factory beside the Columbia River, it has never done a thorough analysis of the harm that Hanford has done to groundwater, wildlife and fish.
The threat of a lawsuit marks a further deterioration in an already strained relationship between the Bush administration and the state of Washington, where most of the environmental damage from Hanford is centered.
"We find ourselves all too often with this administration being pushed into litigation," said Christine O. Gregoire, the attorney general in Washington and a Democratic candidate for governor. "We want to be a partner and we do not want to spend money on litigation, but we are being forced to."
The Department of Energy's assistant secretary for environmental management said she was "disappointed" by Gregoire's comments. "Frankly, I thought we were working pretty hard with the state," said Jessie Roberson, who oversees the Hanford cleanup and is leaving her position next week. "I can't believe they don't recognize how much progress we are making. Lawsuits don't get the work done."
Washington sued the Department of Energy last year to stop it from importing low-level radioactive material to the Hanford site from around the country.
Continue reading this story from the Washington Post:
Suit Likely if Wash. Nuclear Site Isn't Assessed
To learn more about issues associated with Hanford Nuclear Reservation, please visit the website of the following Earth Share groups:
Heart of America Northwest Research Center
Government Accountability Project
