WASH. STATE TO LOOK FOR NEW WAYS TO COMPEL HANFORD CLEANUP IN WAKE OF TANK LEAK

In the wake of the Department of Energy’s new disclosure that one of Hanford’s underground high-level waste tanks appears to be leaking, Washington state officials say they are considering new means to compel DOE to abide by existing cleanup obligations at the site. DOE’s disclosure “underscores the vital importance of a continued commitment by the federal government to clean up Hanford as soon as possible," Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a Feb. 15 release. "I have met with my legal team and asked them to develop new legal options to enforce the U.S. Department of Energy’s current obligations to clean up Hanford. We must ensure that Washington communities and our environment are protected."

Late last week, DOE said that the waste level in one of Hanford’s aging single-shell tanks has found to be decreasing, and that the loss of liquid in the tank could be in the range of between 150-300 gallons over the course of a year. The cause of the leak in Tank T-111, which was built during World War II, has not yet been determined. “Monitoring wells in the T Tank Farm, where Tank T-111 is located, have not identified significant changes in concentrations of chemicals or radionuclides in the soil. DOE is continuing to monitor its network of monitoring wells in the area of T Tank Farm and is evaluating possible next steps,” the Department said. Tank T-111 contains approximately 447,000 gallons of sludge waste. The tank was determined to be “an assumed leaker” in 1979, and in 1995 DOE completed what it described as “interim stabilization” for the tank, which entailed the removal of pumpable liquid.

In a statement issued after DOE announced the new leak, Washington state Governor Jay Inslee (D) said he was “armed and deeply concerned” by the news. “Let me be clear: Washington State has a zero tolerance policy on radioactive leakage. We will not tolerate any leaks of this material to the environment,” Inslee said. While there is no ”immediate public health risk,” Inslee said, he called on DOE and Congress to provide funding to ensure that cleanup work can continue at Hanford. “This news is a sharp reminder, a wakeup call, that we can’t be complacent, or waiver in any way, on our nation’s commitment to clean up Hanford. I know this is a time of tight budgets, but with an active leak of high-level radioactive material into the environment, money can’t be an excuse for inaction,” he said. “Congress and the federal government must provide the funding needed to address the leaking tank, to verify the condition of the remaining tanks, to build additional interim storage or take other necessary steps to prevent further releases, and to get the long-term solution, the waste treatment plant, completed without further delays.”