What will close in the Tri-Cities and what won’t if the government shuts down

More than 13,000 workers are expected to report to their jobs as usual at the Hanford nuclear reservation and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on Monday morning.

Work is expected to continue as usual, at least for a time, whether the federal government shuts down or not.

But if you are planning to hunt at one of the local federal areas that charges a fee, you will be out of luck.

Friday evening, federal workers were waiting to hear whether Washington, D.C., lawmakers could reach an agreement. If not, the government would shut down at 9 p.m. for lack of a spending plan.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke tweeted on Thursday that public lands, which include wildlife refuges, would be as accessible as safely possible under the law if there is a shutdown.

But there will be no employees available to collect money and check waterfowl hunters in and out at fee-areas of the Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuges in the event of a government closure.

It would close the fee hunting areas at McNary near Burbank and the Umatilla McCormack Unit on the Oregon side of the Columbia River.

Only workers essential to public health and safety, such as law enforcement officials, would report to work at the refuge.

Local Fish and Wildlife Service land — including the Hanford Reach National Monument and the McNary, Columbia and Umatilla national wildlife refuges — would be open as usual.

But signs were being readied Friday in case there was a government shutdown.

“Any entry onto Refuge System property during this period of federal government shutdown is at the visitor’s sole risk,” the signs said.

Most of the workers in the Tri-Cities relying on the federal government for a paycheck should not feel the pinch immediately of a government paycheck.

“I expect there is enough carryover to continue operations at Hanford and PNNL for some time, but hope that a long-term budget deal is reached quickly,” said David Reeploeg, vice president for federal programs at the Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC).

The passage of short-term continuing resolutions, which provide a temporary spending plan, makes it difficult for the Department of Energy and its contractors to plan ahead, he said.

The uncertainty leads “to delays and inefficiencies which increase total costs,” Reeploeg said. Concerns about a government shutdown also affect the workforce.

Hanford Department of Energy and contractor employees and PNNL employees have been told to report to work as usual on Monday.

But DOE posted its policy on its website saying that “a prolonged lapse in appropriations may require subsequent employee furloughs.”

Each component of DOE will continue to operate until its prior year balances for funding are exhausted, according to the agency. However, some activities, such as travel, could be curtailed,

There is a “protection of property exception” to allow the continued protection of sites — what DOE calls “guns, guards and gates” — and activities needed to maintain government equipment, including scientific equipment.

The last federal government shutdown was in 2013, with no spending plan from Oct. 1 to 16.

Furlough and temporary layoff notices had been expected to be sent out to Hanford workers on Oct. 16, 2013, but DOE postponed the notices as it appeared that an agreement to reopen the federal government would be reached later that day.

PNNL had already sent out furlough or temporary layoff notices to some workers by the time an agreement was reached.

This story was originally published January 19, 2018 at 6:35 PM with the headline "What will close in the Tri-Cities and what won’t if the government shuts down."