Letter: State should allow Hanford waste to be grouted
Regarding a May 3 TCH article on GAO’s report number GAO-17-306 covering the treatment of Hanford’s nuclear waste — after reading the 84-page report, it should be titled, “Due to excessive state of Washington requirements at least $55 billion of unnecessary costs will be spent.”
The report focused on the treatment of nuclear tank waste called “low-activity waste” (LAW). The state of South Carolina allowed DOE to immobilize the LAW using the grout method. The state of Washington required the Hanford site to use the more costly vitrification method.
The report stated that the Savannah River Site estimated it would save about $55 billion using the grout method compared to the vitrification method. Savannah River started treatment of LAW in 2007, with plans to complete treatment in 2028. Hanford hasn’t started.
Page 41 of the report stated, “Experts believe that both vitrification and grout can treat Hanford’s LAW…” I believe it is time the state of Washington stop denying science and allow DOE to use the grout method to treat Hanford’s LAW. If the state refuses to allow Hanford’s LAW to be grouted, then the state should pay for the additional vitrification costs.
Garry Amidan, West Richland
This story was originally published May 29, 2017 at 10:47 PM with the headline "Letter: State should allow Hanford waste to be grouted."