Trump DOE Finally Greenlights Nuclear Waste Removal Facility After Pressure from WA Delegation

Trump DOE Finally Greenlights Nuclear Waste Removal Facility After Pressure from WA Delegation

Last week, Cantwell spoke on the Senate floor criticizing DOE Sec for attempting to retreat on legally binding clean up obligations

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, released this statement following the news that the United States Department of Energy (DOE) formally approved the continuation of the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Program (DFLAW) at the Hanford vitrification plant to clean up nuclear waste. News comes after weeks of alarming signals from the Trump administration indicating they might delay the scheduled Oct. 15 start of DFLAW which would risk thousands of jobs and billions of investments.

"The Department of Energy heard our history lesson and made the right decision to protect 3,000 jobs and support the over 20-year, $24 billion investment we made to protect the Columbia River and Tri-Cities community from radioactive tank waste. I look forward to October 15^th when tank waste will be removed, treated, and safely stored for disposal for the first time in the decades-long effort to clean up Hanford," said Sen. Cantwell.

Last week, Sen. Cantwell spoke on the Senate floor taking DOE Secretary Chris Wright to task for walking back the commitment he made - reiterated as recently as two days prior - to move forward with the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant scheduled to begin operations next month.

Video of that floor speech is available HERE, transcript HERE.

Earlier this month, DOE announced the firing of Roger Jarrell, principal deputy assistant secretary of DOE's Office of Environmental Management and the main overseer of the Hanford nuclear site in the Tri-Cities. At the time, reporting in POLITICO indicated that the firing was linked to Wright wanting to go in a "different direction" to clean up Hanford, attributed to a person with knowledge of the event because they're not authorized to speak to press. The person went on to say they believed DOE wanted to cut the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant Project - a plant slated to open on Oct. 15 after more than two decades of construction.

Following that news, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that she'd spoken to Wright and found out he intends to stall on beginning hot commissioning at the Waste Treatment Plant, a decision Sen. Murray called "astonishingly senseless." Yesterday, DOE formally signed off on moving forward with the scheduled opening, which was the last hurdle before the project could move forward as planned.

Sen. Cantwell has repeatedly pushed Wright to uphold the Tri-Party Agreement and commit to cleaning up Hanford nuclear waste under the existing legal framework. Earlier this year, she voted against advancing his confirmation as DOE Secretary as a result of his hesitation.

Video of Sen. Cantwell pressing Wright on whether he'd commit to Hanford cleanup is HERE; video of her announcing her opposition to his nomination as DOE Secretary is HERE.