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Wednesday, Jun. 03, 2009

Group marks 15 years of cleanup consensus

By Susan Leckband, Mid-Columbia Voices

Along with the Tri-Party Agreement, the Hanford Advisory Board is celebrating a milestone anniversary this year.

Convened in 1994 to give policy advice, HAB has served as a consistent advocate for public participation in Hanford cleanup decisions.

And it's been a sounding board for the TPA agencies - the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Ecology.

Fifteen years ago, a daunting task was undertaken to identify a diverse, balanced group of organizations and citizens to provide consensus advice on Hanford cleanup issues.

The design of the board was deliberate and balanced to provide the TPA agencies with a depth and breadth of opinions that represent a wide range of interests and values regarding Hanford cleanup.

That diversity, balance and commitment to consensus make the HAB unique among advisory boards.

Representatives of the public at large, Hanford workers, Northwest citizen, environmental and public interest organizations, local governments, tribes, business interests and the state of Oregon make up the 31 seats that comprise the HAB.

The HAB uses the TPA as a fundamental guide for its deliberations on Hanford cleanup. Understanding Hanford cleanup issues and budgets is not easy. However, as a volunteer organization, the HAB members are committed and knowledgeable.

At any given HAB meeting, the members sitting around the table discussing Hanford cleanup issues can represent more than 500 years of Hanford experience, either working on the Hanford site or as citizens interested in a cleaner environment.

The HAB has evolved significantly over the years, providing formal advice and informal perspectives on Hanford cleanup policy issues.

Individuals representing divergent interests (sometimes even polar opposites), have been able to put partisanship aside in the spirit of the TPA to provide the three agencies with more than 200 pieces of consensus advice - ranging from recommendations on ensuring worker and public safety to providing input on budget priorities and major cleanup policy issues.

In the past 15 years, the HAB has been witness to much progress and cleanup at Hanford - removal of the fuel and sludge from the K East Basin, plutonium stabilized and shipped offsite, reactors along the river cocooned, multiple buildings removed, design and construction of the Waste Treatment Plant continuing - the list goes on and on.

The next 15 years have the potential for huge advances in cleanup. Operation of the Waste Treatment Plant is set to begin, some underground waste storage tanks will be closed, the footprint of the Hanford site could be significantly reduced, cleanup along the Columbia River should be completed, some of the huge "canyon" facilities are likely to be demolished, more transuranic waste will be on its way to permanent disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, and much more.

There is still much work to be done, and as your citizen advisory board, the HAB will continue to monitor Hanford cleanup and provide advice to the TPA agencies.

All HAB meetings are open to the public. The next one is Thursday and Friday at the Red Lion in Kennewick.

Check out our website at www.hanford.gov. Look under the "Public Involvement" heading and click on Hanford Advisory Board. You can also find opportunities to attend public meetings to learn more about Hanford cleanup and to provide you input in the Hanford Events calendar section of the website.

Respect for each other and finding common ground on which to build consensus are the cornerstones that help make the HAB successful and ensure its longevity.

HAB members, the public and employees of the agencies responsible for overseeing and regulating Hanford cleanup, breathe the same air and drink the same water.

There is an overarching understanding that we all want the same thing - Hanford cleanup that provides a cleaner, safer environment for our children and grandchildren.

* Susan Leckband is chairwoman of the Hanford Advisory Board.

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