04.30.24

Cantwell Statement on Landmark New Hanford Tank Waste Cleanup Agreement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, issued a statement following the announcement of a new holistic agreement to manage the chemical and radioactive tank waste at the Hanford site in Washington state:

“This agreement on how to safely dispose of the 56 million gallons of tank waste at the Hanford site moves us in the right direction,” Sen. Cantwell said. “As the tank waste mission moves forward, I will continue to make sure the safety of the Hanford workforce and Tri-Cities community is the top priority.”

The new agreement – negotiated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Washington State Department of Ecology – can be read in full HERE. The Hanford Tank Waste Mission guides the retrieval, treatment, and disposal of the 56 million gallons of waste stored in 177 underground tanks at the Hanford site. The holistic agreement between the federal agencies and the State of Washington sets revised goals and timelines that will be in place through 2040. There will be a 60-day public comment period on the proposed changes that begins May 30, 2024.

Sen. Cantwell has long championed Hanford clean-up and played a leading role in overseeing the Department of Energy’s cleanup efforts and fighting numerous Administration proposals to cut Hanford budgets. Earlier this month, Sen. Cantwell asked DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm about the holistic tank waste cleanup agreement at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, Sec. Granholm replied: “Hanford, yes. Exciting that they’re reaching conclusion, obviously we will work with the community and make sure that it's transparent.”

In January 2021, at the nomination hearing for current Secretary of Energy Granholm, Sen. Cantwell secured a pledge to fully fund Hanford cleanup from the nominee. Secretary Granholm visited the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland and the Hanford site with Sen. Cantwell in August 2022 and they discussed the need for increased and sustained funding. Throughout the Trump administration, Sen. Cantwell repeatedly led the charge in opposing drastic cuts to the Hanford budget, and in 2020 she led a successful effort to defeat a provision in the annual National Defense Authorization Act that could have diverted billions in funding from ongoing clean-up projects. In 2004, Cantwell blocked a legislative effort to allow the federal government to leave hazardous waste behind at Hanford instead of meeting their cleanup obligations.