Washington state names interim leader for Hanford regulation

The director of the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Office of Columbia River will temporarily step into the role of acting program manager in charge of the state’s work as a Hanford regulator.

Starting March 1 Tom Tebb, a native of the Yakima Valley, will serve as acting manager of the Department of Ecology Nuclear Waste Program, Ecology Deputy Director Polly Zehm announced Wednesday.

Zehm said his extensive work at Ecology, including five years at its Hanford office in the ’90s, makes him a good choice to fill in and gives the state more time to find a permanent successor to Jane Hedges.

Hedges announced in early November that she would be retiring as manager of the Nuclear Waste Program at the end of February. The state started a search for a replacement then, but Hedges has said that an interim manager may be needed for a few months.

This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 2:05 PM with the headline "Washington state names interim leader for Hanford regulation."