ENERGY SEC. LOOKS TO FINALIZE NEW HANFORD PLAN BY THIS SUMMER

New Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz said yesterday that he hopes to have a revised plan for addressing tank waste at the Hanford site finalized this summer. In remarks to reporters on the sidelines of a conference held by the Energy Information Administration in Washington, Moniz said his June 19 trip to Hanford would serve as “step three” in preparing the new plan. “We clearly will be talking to the contractors and the federal oversight managers in terms of looking to develop what I promised to Senator [Ron] Wyden (D-Ore.) and Senators [Patty] Murray (D-Wash.) and [Maria] Cantwell (D-Wash.), which will be a revised updated plan, which I hope to get to them this summer. The Hanford visit is kind of step three of a four-step process.” Moniz also said that during his trip to Hanford he would meet with local officials, tribal leaders and “whistleblowers.” He said, “Those are all commitments I have made and the schedule will accommodate all of that.” Following his trip to Hanford, Moniz said he would then travel to Olympia, Wash., to meet with Governor Jay Inslee (D).