Posted: Wednesday, January 27, 2010
RICHLAND, WA – More than a hundred people showed up to a meeting in Richland, Washington, late last night to discuss the future of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The Department of Energy hosted the meeting to explain its new plan for managing the site for decades into the future. The environmental impact statement is so large and detailed, it’s bound into 7 large books the size of telephone directories. The plan discusses several options for cleaning up the millions of gallons of radioactive waste stored in aging underground tanks. Many who testified said they were concerned that the Energy Department might walk away from the underground tanks once they’re emptied. Brett VandenHeuvel is the executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper.
Brett VandenHeuvel: “The Department of Energy proposes to not cleanup about a million gallons of waste that has already leaked below the tanks. This is simply not acceptable. We are encouraging the Department of Energy to complete the job.”
The Richland meeting was the first of more than a half-dozen Hanford meetings throughout the Northwest from now through March. (Anna King)
Copyright 2010 Northwest News Network
On the web:
DOE's New Hanford EIS