Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) planned to visit the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site Thursday and will be joined by officials from the Washington state Department of Ecology, according to an advisory issued through the governor’s office Wednesday.
Ecology Director Laura Watson and the state’s agency’s nuclear waste program manager David Bowen will join Inslee and federal officials on the tour of the former plutonium production facility that is undergoing cleanup.
Prior to the Hanford tour, Inslee’s visit will begin with a private meeting with tribal representatives, Hanford stakeholders and community leaders, according to the advisory.
The state of Washington, along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, oversees DOE cleanup of the Hanford Site in accordance with the 1989 Tri-Party Agreement. Last month, Inslee posted a video on the 33rd anniversary of that agreement urging Congressional appropriators to increase the $2.5 billion sought by the Joe Biden administration for site cleanup during fiscal 2023.
The state and federal parties are continuing long-running “holistic” talks about Hanford cleanup milestones behind closed doors with a federal mediator.
