WASHINGTON -- Six months ago, then Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told a crowd in Pendleton he wasn't familiar with the Hanford nuclear reservation and didn't have a clue what was going on there.
The comment caused a stir in the Tri-Cities and set off alarm bells with the state's two Democratic senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.
It remains unclear whether the former community organizer from the south side of Chicago who spent three years in the Senate and is now the president-elect has learned anything about the $2 billion-a-year Hanford cleanup or the long-standing commitment from the federal government to clean up one of the most toxic sites on Earth.
Murray said she has had "several" conversations with Obama's transition team about Hanford.
"I look forward to working with the Obama administration to make up for the funding shortfalls of the past eight years, and I am confident they will be responsive to our needs," Murray said.
Cantwell also has been in touch with the transition team and also is optimistic the new administration will be easier to work with when it comes to Hanford cleanup money.
"The President-elect's team understands that the current administration is leaving office with far too much cleanup work undone, and we are looking forward to working with the new administration to prioritize Hanford cleanup," Cantwell said.
Tommy Vietor, an Obama transition spokesman, declined this week to comment on the issue.
When it comes to the Department of Energy, Obama's focus has been on global warming and clean energy, even though the cleanup program at Hanford and other DOE sites eats up roughly one-fourth of the department's $25 billion annual budget.
Among those mentioned to head the department are Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming; former Indiana Democratic Sen. Phil Sharp, president of Resources for the Future, a think tank; Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter.
Others possibly in the mix include Dan Reicher, a former assistant energy secretary in the Clinton administration who now is director of climate change and energy initiatives at Google.org and Jeff Immelt, chief executive of General Electric Co.
There has been no speculation about who eventually may be named to head up DOE's cleanup arm.
The first real indication of how high a priority the incoming administration places on cleaning up Hanford and other DOE site may not come until it releases it first budget proposal in late January or early February.
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Hanford regulators will postpone some cleanup deadlines
Hanford regulators will postpone some cleanup deadlines
Hanford regulators have agreed to let some interim environmental cleanup deadlines slide at the nuclear reservation to focus on the highest priority work, given the realities of the federal budget.
The changes are expected to allow work to continue to demolish the Plutonium Finishing Plant, which the Department of Energy heard during public comments should be a priority.
The new plan also retains the focus on completing cleanup along the Columbia River by 2015 and cleaning up contaminated ground water beneath Hanford.
Nuclear Regulation Commission allows Yucca closure to continue
Nuclear Regulation Commission allows Yucca closure to continue
WASHINGTON -- A divided Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Friday allowed the Obama administration to continue with plans to close the Yucca Mountain, Nev., nuclear waste repository, where Hanford waste was planned to be sent.
The commission split, 2-2, on whether to uphold or reject a decision by an independent nuclear licensing board. The board voted last year to block the Department of Energy from withdrawing its application for Yucca Mountain. The licensing board said the government failed to make a scientific case for why the application should be withdrawn.
Despite the split vote, the NRC said in an order Friday that the licensing board should continue steps to close out work on Yucca Mountain by the end of the month, citing "budgetary limitations."
DOE taking further asbestos protection steps
DOE taking further asbestos protection steps
Steps are being taken to increase protection of Hanford workers from asbestos after many workers raised questions about their safety in central Hanford, according to the Department of Energy.
On Thursday, top Hanford and union officials sent a message to all Hanford employees describing additional actions to make sure workers are not exposed to asbestos.
At issue are asbestos-containing materials from facilities that have not yet been demolished as part of the environmental cleanup at Hanford and asbestos-containing materials that might remain after buildings have been demolished to ground level.
Hanford wise stewards of stimulus money
Hanford wise stewards of stimulus money
On Nov. 2, the Department of Energy's inspector general, Gregory Friedman, delivered a fairly critical report on Department of Energy's use of stimulus funds.
The investigation into American Recovery and Reinvestment Act spending came at the behest of the House Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending.
While the report validated some of the concerns regarding stimulus funds, the bright spot in the report was cleanup of the weapons complex sites under DOE's Office of Environmental Management.
DOE seeks way to streamline Hanford land transfers
DOE seeks way to streamline Hanford land transfers
The Department of Energy is looking for ways to streamline the process of transferring unneeded land for new uses at Hanford and other sites that have environmentally clean property.
It is moving its Asset Revitalization Initiative into Phase II with new leadership and a plan that includes promoting public-private partnerships and commercial opportunities. It also calls for engaging local communities as decisions are made about land as environmental cleanup is completed.
The Tri-City Development Council has asked for 1,341 acres of Hanford land next to Richland city limits for economic development to help replace jobs being lost at Hanford. It is joined in the request by Richland, the Port of Benton and Benton County.
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