Agencies draft cleanup agreement for Wash. nuclear site

Oct. 7

The U.S. Department of Energy, the Washington State Department of Ecology and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have drafted a new agreement to govern cleanup of nuclear waste at the U.S. government´s Hanford, Wash., site.

"Today´s agreement represents an important milestone in the ongoing cleanup efforts at the Hanford site," said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "This will ensure our continued progress as we work to meet our commitments to the State of Washington to protect the environment, the public and the Columbia River."

The consent decree, filed in U.S. District Court, would impose a new, enforceable schedule for cleaning up waste from Hanford´s underground tanks.

Hanford currently stores more than 53 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste in 177 underground tanks at the site. The agreement calls for the completion of an in-progress waste treatment plant is being designed and built to immobilize the tank waste in glass form.

Contact Waste & Recycling News reporter Amanda Smith-Teutsch at 330-865-6166 or asmith-teutsch@crain.com

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