WASH. STATE TRIGGERS DISPUTE RESOLUTION OVER HANFORD CONSENT DECREE

Washington state yesterday officially triggered a 40-day formal dispute resolution process with the Department of Energy in an attempt to reach an agreement on a proposal to modify the 2010 consent decree that governs the cleanup of Hanford’s tank waste. The move came after DOE and Washington state each rejected a proposal the other put forward to modify the consent decree. DOE has been in talks with the state on modifying the consent decree after warning that it is at risk of missing remaining milestones tied to making progress on the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant. If no agreement can be reached through the dispute resolution process, Washington state can ask a court to direct DOE to accept the state’s proposal for the consent decree. “The state put forward a proposal in order to keep Hanford cleanup on track, and while there has been progress from the federal government in proposing creative ways for moving forward with elements of cleanup, we need to see substantial improvement in order to ensure that our agreed-upon deadlines for waste removal and treatment are met,” Washington state Governor Jay Inslee (D) said on a release. “This is the federal government’s responsibility to the citizens of Washington. It is important that we keep this discussion moving forward.”