Citing Waffling on Commitment to Hanford Cleanup Agreement, Cantwell Votes Against Advancing Trump’s DOE Nominee

Citing Waffling on Commitment to Hanford Cleanup Agreement, Cantwell Votes Against Advancing Trump's DOE Nominee

In committee hearing last week, DOE nominee Chris Wright fell short of pledging to honor the negotiated Hanford cleanup agreement

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a longtime member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, voted against advancing the nomination of Chris Wright, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), to consideration by the full Senate.

In a committee markup today, Sen. Cantwell cited an exchange with Wright during a hearing last week - when she questioned him on whether he'd pledge to uphold the newly negotiated agreement between the State of Washington, DOE, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that directs cleanup of the Hanford nuclear site in the Tri-Cities, and he fell short of giving a concrete answer.

"I voted for the last Trump Energy Secretary nominee and appreciated working with him. The first thing he said when he came here is 'Hanford and cybersecurity are going to be his number one priorities,' and I believed him, and he carried through on that commitment," Sen. Cantwell said.

"I understand Mr. Wright has enthusiasm for DOE's role in the national laboratories, and he testified about Hanford having given this country quite a mess and it needed to be cleaned up. However, his commitment to the Tri-Party Agreement and upholding it was unsatisfactory. This is such a big issue for the State of Washington," she continued. "I hope maybe between now and the floor [vote], I might get a stronger commitment on this, on the Tri-Party Agreement. [It's] essential for my state to have that commitment."

The negotiated agreement, which includes the Tri-Party Agreement, spells out how the State of Washington, the DOE, and the EPA must cooperate to ensure that cleanup of the radioactive nuclear waste at Hanford remains in compliance with federal law.

Sen. Cantwell has long championed Hanford clean-up and played a leading role in overseeing the DOE's cleanup efforts, fighting numerous Administration proposals to cut Hanford budgets.

Throughout the first Trump administration, Sen. Cantwell repeatedly led the charge in opposing drastic cuts to the Hanford budget, and in 2020 she led a successful effort to defeat a provision in the annual National Defense Authorization Act that could have diverted billions in funding from ongoing clean-up projects.

In January 2021, at the nomination hearing for former Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Sen. Cantwell secured a pledge to fully fund Hanford cleanup from the nominee. Secretary Granholm visited the DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland and the Hanford site with Sen. Cantwell in August 2022 and they discussed the need for increased and sustained funding.

Video of today's committee markup is available HERE, audio HERE, and a transcript HERE.

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