ARLINGTON, VA — The new acting head of the Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch reiterated here Wednesday the department remains committed to start making glass in mid-October from the radioactive tank waste at the Hanford Site in Washington state.
Following his address to the National Cleanup Workshop, Joel Bradburne, acting assistant secretary for DOE’s Office of Environmental Management, told Exchange Monitor he expects initial operation of the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) by the current Oct. 15 deadline.
When then asked if he was still confident of October operation in the event of a federal government shutdown, Bradburne simply said “we have been through government shutdowns before.” The EM official added that he always plans for the worst and hopes for the best.
Sources had previously told the Monitor and other publications this month that Secretary of Energy Chris Wright was getting cold feet on the long-awaited vitrification plant and that was the reason for the termination of acting EM head Roger Jarrell.
“It’s not the first leadership transition for EM,” Bradburne said during his presentation. “It won’t be the last.” Bradburne also noted that the cleanup office is awaiting full Senate confirmation of Tim Walsh.
Walsh has been approved by committee but has yet to be voted upon by the Senate. Sen. Patty Murry (D-Wash.) recently placed a hold on Walsh’s nomination, citing uncertainty of the administration’s commitment to WTP. Walsh a a real estate developer and combat veteran who President Donald Trump nominated to head EM in March.
As for Bradburne, he has been around the nuclear weapons complex for decades, most recently as manager of the Portsmouth-Paducah Project Office. “Coming from the field I know what it’s like to run a site and live in the neighborhood,” Bradburne said.
Another morning speaker, the mayor of West Richland, Wash., Brent Gerry, said because of the 56 million gallons of radioactive and hazardous sludge at Hanford, DOE must use both glass-making and solidifying waste into a concrete-like grout.
“Both can run in tandem … for decades,” because of the high volume, Gerry said.
The conference is held annually by DOE and hosted by Energy Communities Alliance and the Energy Facility Contractors Group.