Ecology's letter to Roy Schepens on tank closure
CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc. Dear Mr. Aromi: I am writing regarding your recent "surprise" announcement at the October 8th, 2002 Hanford Advisory Board Tank Waste Committee meeting. There, Mr. Swailes announced a new agreement with the Department of Energy to "close" 26 to 40 tanks by 2001. Immediately following this announcement, you held a press conference sharing this new agreement with the public. All of this was done without the involvement and substantive knowledge of Washington Department of Ecology, the guardian of the Tri-Party Agreement. In your September 2002 "River View" news, you state the values of CH2M Hill, among them, "demonstrating respect for clients and the public; communicating openly with customers, employees and stakeholders." This decision and announcement fly in the face of these values. Trust cannot be built in such a manner, and one of the constant obstacles to success in any cleanup project in the Department of Energy is lack of trust from the public and the regulators. Hanford Watch has historically supported reducing the risks of contamination to the residents of the Tri-Cities as well as to the region through a major pathway of risk, the Columbia River. We also support acceleration of cleanup as long as the depth and quality of the cleanup supersedes haste and "savings". Our regulators need to be involved at the inception of plans to change cleanup priorities that are governed by environmental laws. The public as well needs to be involved in determining "closure" definition and standards. Time and effort put into the legal and public process will save money, and prevent delay and failure of cleanup. I urge you, on behalf of Hanford Watch, to honor and respect your customers and stakeholders in your stated "quest for innovation and continuous improvement". The TPA, NEPA and SEPA regulations were created to protect the public from being run over roughshod by politics and false choices. Our health and safety and that of the environment, which nurtures us, are of foremost value. Sincerely, |