Cantwell Urges Energy Sec. Nominee to “Uphold the Commitment” to Clean Up Hanford

Cantwell Urges Energy Sec. Nominee to "Uphold the Commitment" to Clean Up Hanford

"I am firmly committed to continuing our obligations and our moral obligation to clean up the mess that was left in your state," nominee Chris Wright says under Cantwell questioning

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a longtime member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, urged Chris Wright - President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Energy - to uphold the Department of Energy's commitment to clean up Hanford.

The exchange came today during Wright's confirmation hearing before the committee.

"Will you commit to upholding the Tri-Party agreement between DOE and the State of Washington and others in supporting Hanford cleanup and advocating for a budget that represents that commitment?" Sen. Cantwell asked.

"Senator, I can't overstate how critical I think it is to finish the job, finish the cleanup at Hanford," Wright responded. "The majority of our country's plutonium was produced there, not just for World War II, but the post war period and our arsenal today. So, Hanford gave a lot to this country, and we behind, left a mess, and that needs to be cleaned up."

Wright added: "It's being cleaned up, thanks in part to your efforts and many in your state to push for that. But I am firmly committed to continuing our obligations and our moral obligation to clean up the mess that was left in your state."

Sen. Cantwell pressed the nominee to provide a definitive answer on his commitment to upholding the agreement that was recently finalized by the Department of Energy, Washington State Department of Ecology, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Sen. Cantwell has long championed Hanford clean-up and played a leading role in overseeing the Department of Energy's cleanup efforts and 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 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.

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