The Department of Energy will hear public comments at a Jan. 26 meeting in Richland on a wide-ranging draft study that lays the groundwork for cleanup of the Hanford nuclear reservation for decades to come.
It's one of eight meetings planned in the Northwest. The Richland meeting at the Red Lion Hanford House will start with an open house at 6 p.m. followed by presentations by DOE and the Washington State Department of Ecology at 7 p.m.
Public comment then will be heard until 10 p.m.
Other meetings will be Feb. 2 in Boise; Feb. 9 in Hood River, Ore., and Feb. 10 in Portland. A Seattle meeting is being rescheduled and three more meetings will be added to the list.
Among the decisions the Draft Tank Closure and Waste Management Environmental Impact Statement recommends are entombing the Fast Flux Test Facility, emptying 99 percent of waste from underground tanks, leaving the emptied tanks in the ground and continuing to ban many types of radioactive waste from being sent to Hanford.
The 6,000-page study is posted at hanford.gov.
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Study to look at putting natural gas pipeline under Columbia River
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The Department of Energy is proceeding with an environmental study of building a natural gas pipeline that would travel under the Columbia River to the center of the Hanford nuclear reservation.
Cascade Natural Gas Corp. has been awarded a task order worth up to $5 million to provide technical expertise and other support to DOE to prepare the legally required study, called an environmental impact statement. Cascade also would potentially provide the natural gas as the licensed supplier in the Hanford area.
The project could help meet DOE goals of reducing fuel costs, greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on foreign fuel sources, according to a notice in the Federal Register on Monday.
Draft study finds nothing to stop Energy Northwest license renewal
Draft study finds nothing to stop Energy Northwest license renewal
A draft environmental study has found no show stoppers for the renewal of the license for Energy Northwest's nuclear power plant near Richland.
Energy Northwest has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend the Columbia Generating Station's current 40-year license for 20 more years, allowing it to operate through 2043.
The 1,150-megawatt plant supplies enough power for about 1 million homes when it is operating.
Concerns heard at hearing about natural gas pipeline for central Hanford
Concerns heard at hearing about natural gas pipeline for central Hanford
A proposed natural gas pipeline under the Columbia River to central Hanford could save taxpayer money and reduce greenhouse gases.
But there also were concerns about safety, spreading Hanford contamination and affects on wildlife raised at a Department of Energy meeting Thursday night in Pasco to take comments on what should be considered in a proposed environmental study.
About 80 people attended.
Draft report: Problems with vit plant quality control, potential overpayment
Draft report: Problems with vit plant quality control, potential overpayment
Quality assurance procedures were not always followed for vessels inside Hanford's vitrification plant black cells, where no inspections or maintenance can be done for 40 years because of high radiation levels, according to a draft report of a Department of Energy Inspector General audit.
"The importance of ... black cell and hard-to-reach components cannot be overstated," the draft report said. "Premature failure of these components could potentially contaminate large portions of a multi-billion dollar facility and interrupt waste processing for an unknown period of time."
In addition, DOE might have overpaid contractor Bechtel National for some work related to black cell tanks or vessels, the draft said. No record has been found to show that $15 million was returned, it said.
'Game-changing' large robotic arm removing waste at Hanford
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A large robotic arm has begun retrieving radioactive waste from one of Hanford's underground tanks, raising hopes that the slow and difficult work to empty tanks will become more efficient.
"We believe this new system will be a game changer for us and allow us to move more waste out of our tanks faster and at less cost," said Kent Smith, the tank retrieval manager for Department of Energy contractor Washington River Protection Solutions, in a statement.
The Mobile Arm Retrieval System, or MARS, already has changed how work is done at the Hanford tank farms, after Hanford workers cut the largest hole ever in a U.S. radioactive waste tank to install the system in December.
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