Tank waste vitrification project

Paige Knight, Hanford Watch -- Feb. 4, 1999

Hanford Watch has supported the concept of vitrifying (putting nuclear waste into glass logs) from the beginning as compared to other options: grouting the waste in cement and burying it in cement trenches in the ground or leaving it in the 177 deteriorating tanks to leak into the Columbia River. With its history of poor management, the Department of Energy has decided to "privatize" this project, which is the most serious environmental threat in the nation and the one of the largest magnitude.

We have spoken out repeatedly against the privatization of the tank waste program from the beginning because it has looked like a way of deferring gargantuan costs and ultimately putting off the cleanup. Yet we have also supported the concept of "getting on with cleanup" and have voiced our skepticism about there being no backup plan if this contract should fail or funding from Congress dry up.

The awarding of the vitrification contract to British Nuclear Fuels, Ltd. (BNFL) was a better choice than giving the contract to the other bidder, Lockheed Martin. Yet we are very aware that BNFL does not have a reputation for public openness, protection of health and safety and environmental excellence in its programs in Great Britain.

Presently our fears center around the following points:
-- DOE's plans are out of compliance with the current Tri-Party Agreement milestones.
-- DOE and Congress have no long-term funding program for a project that is currently estimated to cost nearly $1 billion per year for a number of years, and no plan of how to obtain the necessary funding.
-- Instead of contracting to clean out all of the tank waste the new contract calls for treating only 10% of the waste in Hanford's tanks.
-- The funding is set up to pay for a significant amount of interest for a "privatized" BNFL contract. At a current $6.9 billion estimated cost, this interest could end up pushing the cost of the contract to over $10 billion.

Hanford Watch supports the path forward of vitrifying waste in the tanks. However we want a commitment from Congress to fund the project, and hold DOE's feet to the fire on making good on this contract. The Northwest cannot afford to throw money and time down the drain, at the expense of our economic livelihood and of our health and safety.