Gov. Gary Locke Announces Agreement on Hanford Waste Cleanup

Washington State Department of Ecology

Department of Ecology News Release - December 16, 2002

02-231

Gov. Gary Locke Announces Agreement on Hanford Waste Cleanup

OLYMPIA – Gov. Gary Locke today announced that the state has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) to develop milestones for characterizing and determining how to properly dispose of certain waste currently buried at the Hanford site near Richland. The agreement was successfully negotiated by Ecology Director Tom Fitzsimmons and former Gov. Mike Lowry.

At issue was USDOE's stated intention to begin shipping up to 170 drums of transuranic (TRU) waste to Hanford from Ohio and California this week. The waste was to be stored at Hanford for several years before ultimately disposing of it at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, N.M.

At Locke's request, Fitzsimmons and Lowry met Friday in Washington, D.C., with senior officials from the USDOE. Locke called on Lowry to help with the negotiations due to his experience as a former congressman and governor, and his familiarity with the Hanford cleanup efforts.

"This agreement provides much-needed assurances from the federal government on the storage of such waste in our state," Locke said. "It was important that the Department of Energy tell us how the waste would be handled, when it would eventually be removed from Hanford, and, more importantly, how and when they would deal with similar waste already at the Hanford site."

Locke, Attorney General Christine Gregoire and Fitzsimmons have insisted that no additional waste should be shipped to Hanford, even for temporary storage, until the state is assured the waste will be managed safely at Hanford and eventually removed from the site. In addition, they sought a schedule for cleaning up about 31,000 barrels of buried waste already at Hanford.

Gregoire, who was prepared to file suit against USDOE last Friday to stop the waste shipments, said the resolution hammered out between the state and DOE will have a long-term, positive effect on Hanford.

"This is the Department of Energy's last chance to get on with the retrieval, processing and permanent disposal of what has been a skeleton in the Hanford closet," Gregoire said.

After lengthy meetings on Friday morning, Fitzsimmons and USDOE's Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management Jessie Roberson signed a joint letter to Gov. Locke cementing an agreement. The main elements are:

By March 1, 2003, USDOE and the state Department of Ecology (Ecology) will negotiate milestones for cleaning up buried mixed wastes that have been generated at Hanford. These milestones will be incorporated into the Tri-Party Agreement of 1989 that governs cleanup activities at Hanford.
Beginning Dec. 18, USDOE will start shipping up to 170 barrels of TRU waste from Ohio and California, scheduled to occur during the next eight months.
USDOE confirmed its commitment to ship two units of Hanford-site TRU waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico for every unit of off-site TRU waste stored at Hanford.
Until March 1, 2003, Washington state agrees to not file a lawsuit to stop shipments of TRU waste to Hanford.
USDOE will pursue a dialogue with interested states on strategies to accelerate the disposal of TRU wastes across the country, while Washington state will sponsor regular meetings with the Hanford Public Interest Network, tribes and others to ensure their voices are being heard.
USDOE reaffirmed its commitment to address comments previously received for the Hanford Solid Waste Environmental Impact Statement (pertaining to how hazardous and solid wastes would be handled and disposed at Hanford) and to issue a new draft environmental impact statement for additional review and comment.

"We are getting a two-for-one reduction in the waste at Hanford and a commitment to a national-level dialogue about the long-term future of these wastes," Lowry said. "I am especially pleased at the commitment by the state to fully involve the Hanford Public Interest Network and other citizens who have worked on these issues for so many years."

Fitzsimmons said, "We understand and support the Department of Energy's goal to close out other cleanup sites in the country, and we understand that Hanford may have a transitional role in helping with the nationwide cleanup efforts. But it was important to us that Hanford's own buried wastes not be forgotten, and this agreement assures us of that."

Locke also praised U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray and Congressman Doc Hastings for their help. During the negotiations Friday, Cantwell called Roberson directly to support the state's request.

Contacts:
Michael Marchand, Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136;
Sheryl Hutchison, Department of Ecology, 360-407-7004