The Department of Energy is set to have a “mediated discussion” within “the next couple of weeks” with Washington state officials on how to proceed with removing waste from a damaged double-shell tank at Hanford, Kevin Smith, Manager of the DOE Office of River Protection, said yesterday. In March, Washington state ordered DOE to begin by Sept. 1 removing waste from Tank AY-102, which has been found to be leaking material between its inner and outer shells. The state’s order would have DOE begin removing waste from the tank approximately 18 months earlier than the Department had planned. Last month, though, DOE filed an appeal to halt the state’s order, saying that moving quickly to pump the material could raise safety concerns and reduce available storage space in other double-shell tanks. “The next step is to sit down with the state and work through their request for additional activities and try to see if we can satisfy those without additional cost,” Smith said yesterday at a House Cleanup Caucus briefing on the Office of River Protection.
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