Unwavering Support for the Hanford Mission

We are just one month away from the start of hot commissioning at the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) at Hanford, a milestone in the cleanup effort more than twenty years in the making. Throughout my time in Congress, I have supported the Hanford mission and helped deliver resources to the project through my role on the House Appropriations Committee. While federal spending levels and policies change over the years, one thing remains true; Hanford will make history with the vitrification of radioactive waste this fall. 

Last week, reporting on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sparked concerns amongst local, state, and federal leaders who have worked hard to ensure the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Program (DFLAW) is successful in removing harmful radioactive waste from the reservation. The firing of Roger Jarrell, the political appointee overseeing the cleanup mission, and rumored changes in DOE policy around the Waste Treatment Plant was a development that my colleagues and I took seriously as we approach the facility’s start date. 

At my request, DOE Secretary Chris Wright released a statement that there are no plans to delay the start of the vitrification process next month. Let me be clear – I unequivocally oppose any delay of hot commissioning at WTP by DOE, and I will exhaust all options to ensure this deadline is met. Preventing the historic achievement of turning waste into glass at Hanford would be a mistake, and a waste of over $20 billion in taxpayer dollars to reach this milestone. 

DOE should understand that any decision to further delay the October 15 start date would be a disservice to taxpayers and the thousands of hard-working employees at Hanford who have brought this project to life.

Apart from the message sent by stalling the project, there would be an immediate legal challenge from officials in the state of Washington. In January of this year, DOE, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Washington State Department of Ecology signed a consent decree on tank waste cleanup, that set an August start date for hot commissioning at the WTP. The Department of Ecology approved a waiver to push the start date to October 15 and has since signaled that any further delay will result in litigation, which would delay hot commissioning indefinitely. This is a situation we must avoid at all costs.

As we approach the startup of the Waste Treatment Plant, I will continue to work with DOE, state and local leaders, and my colleagues in Congress to ensure Hanford is successful in launching this new era in the cleanup effort.