News -- March 17, 1999

Hanford and cleanup efforts
Congressman Earl Blumenauer
Like many Oregonians, I am thankful for the shift in Hanford’s mission from nuclear weapons production to environmental clean up. The deactivation and transition of the Fast Flux Test Facility to a safe and stable condition has been a critical component of this shift and has had an enormously positive effort on our region’s environment and economy. Last year Congresswoman Furse and I sent a letter to Secretary Pena expressing the State of Oregon’s unalterable opposition to the use of Hanford for operations that create more contamination and divert resources from cleanup.

At a time when the Department of Energy has finally admitted that radioactive waste from Hanford is moving toward the Columbia River, the very lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest, I find it incredible that we are even considering taking an action that is not directly cleanup related. Now is not the time to turn back the clock on the progress we’ve made. Rather, citizens and elected officials of the Pacific Northwest need to press the Department of Energy to redouble its efforts to strengthen and focus on Hanford’s cleanup mission. As a representative for Oregon, I will continue to do my part by urging my colleagues in Congress to stay the course by providing full funding for environmental cleanup efforts at Hanford.

Our fiscal year 2001 budget priorities
Paige Knight, Hanford Watch
Hanford has been holding its annual budget hearing for public input this month. This is the first step in planning the fiscal year 2001 budget. In Portland approximately 40 citizens attended and gave the Richland office of the Dept. of Energy focused feedback on what we want to see the US DOE and Congress fund for cleanup.

In order to meet the legal requirements of the the Tri-Party Agreement for cleanup. Hanford needs $1.444 billion to meet safety standards and cleanup schedules. The US Government has a moral obligation to adequately fund cleanup at Hanford. In the early stages of this budget process $1.065 billion has been put forth from the Office of Management and Budget. There is a big disconnect here. (more)

Big problems with the FY2001 budget
Lynn Porter, Hanford Watch
There are two big problems with the proposed fiscal year 2001 Hanford cleanup budget.
First, it is $232 million short of legal cleanup requirements in the Tri-Party Agreement.
Second, the budget sets aside only $606 million towards the cost of the tank waste vitrification project. According to HEAL, the set-aside fund now has only $383 million in it, and the total by now should be over $1 billion. (more)

Food for thought on the Hanford cleanup budget
Jim Baldwin, Hanford Watch
One Space Shuttle flight costs about $500 million. That's just to fly it, it doesn't include the cost of payloads or amortization of development and construction costs. Inclusion of those costs can push the total for one flight as high as $2 billion, depending on the mission. There have been more than 100 shuttle flights to date, with dozens more planned for construction of the International Space Station. Compare this with the additional $232 million which the DOE should be spending just to comply with its legal agreements.

The very survival of the Pacific Northwest is at stake. A serious accident at Hanford could literally wipe out the agricultural economy of our entire region. Chronic under-budgeting, lack of consistent budgeting, and lack of consistent cleanup planning are making such an accident ever more likely.

Let's keep Hanford on a cleanup only track
Brad Yazzolino, Hanford Watch
At the Hanford nuclear facility, the proper approach should be to keep the nuclear industrialists OUT and the cleanup technicians IN, and keep them well funded, doing their job, and happy. Well planned cleanup projects should be fully funded consistently, not started and stopped, as has happened recently.

Sure, Hanford is expensive to clean up, but it will only get more and more expensive the longer we wait, as more and more radioactive materials leak out. Training workers, who then work for a short time in a highly radioactive area, is very expensive and unsafe. But as time goes on, and more of Hanford disintegrates, more of the work at Hanford will become this sort of high risk, ultra expensive work.