A draft cleanup plan for Hanford shared by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz Monday in the Washington state capital lacked the comprehensiveness and level of detail the state has requested for months, said Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee. “While there are aspects of the plan that have merit, we need to have assurance that the U.S. Department of Energy’s proposal will lead to a plan that will be acceptable to the state,” he said. Last month Inslee and Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson requested a plan that would “contain the specificity, detail and comprehensiveness which has thus far not been provided” on how DOE proposes to amend a 2010 consent decree. DOE said in a statement Monday that given the change in approach required by technical challenges at the Waste Treatment Plant, DOE has provided its plans as currently available and looks forward to providing more information in the near-term.
Inslee’s next step will be to consult with Ferguson and the Washington State Department of Ecology, the governor said. Ferguson said he was “disappointed with the scope of the federal government’s approach” and is continuing to provide information to Inslee on options to enforce the consent decree and the Tri-Party Agreement. The consent decree was the result of a lawsuit filed by Washington state. If the state decides to pursue legal action on its milestones, the state and federal government would first go to dispute resolution as required by the consent decree and then the state could ask the court for relief.