State nuclear waste leader announces retirement

Jane Hedges, the manager of the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Nuclear Waste Program, will retire at the end of February, she announced Wednesday.

She has been responsible for efforts to carry out the state’s role in overseeing cleanup of the Hanford nuclear reservation and ensuring safe management of nuclear waste in the state. The state, along with the Environmental Protection Agency, is a Hanford regulator.

She gave four months notice of her retirement to allow some to time to work with her successor, she said. The state plans to conduct a search for her replacement, she said.

Hedges has led the local oversight office since the start of 2006. She has worked for the state’s Nuclear Waste Program since 1999 and previously was a cleanup section manager.

This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 5:50 PM with the headline "State nuclear waste leader announces retirement."