Hanford nuclear site: State, feds agree to allow leak to continue

The Washington State Dept. of Ecology (Ecology) and the U.S. Dept. of Energy (USDOE) have signed an Agreed Order over the leaking single-shell tank, known as B-109, at Hanford.
The agreement says that by August 2024, regulators will consider a new date to retrieve the nuclear waste from the tank, according to Rep. Gerry Pollet who was briefed on the agreement Thursday morning by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office.
The current retrieval date is scheduled for two decades from now, although state and federal law says if a tank is leaking nuclear waste, it must be pumped immediately, or whenever is feasible.
Pollet is the legislature’s top authority on Hanford. He said he is “heartbroken” over this Order.
“Sadly, this agreement is a dereliction of Washington state’s duty to protect our Columbia River and groundwater from high-level nuclear waste. If the state cannot enforce our environmental waste laws, it will be up to the public and the tribes to enforce the law,” Pollet said.
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