Letter: Hanford manager should be based in Tri-Cities

I am a student at Columbia Basin College. The recent issue of where the Hanford nuclear reservation program manager should be based is of interest to me, as I have taken a tour and learned about the history of the site.

I personally believe that the new manager should be based in Hanford’s Richland office. If the new manager is based in Seattle, it would leave only four local employees to manage the site. With the cleanup of the contaminated areas of Hanford being such a time consuming and costly undertaking, the more locally based staff there is, the better. If the managerial staff were based locally, it would allow for quick response in the event of an emergency.

In addition, having the manager based near the Hanford site would establish a more personal connection between the person and the cleanup operation. If the manager were someone in Seattle, there would be a certain disconnect that could hinder the relationship they have with the other managers. Overall, it would be better for the entire managerial staff and the Hanford employees if the managers were based locally.

This story was originally published November 30, 2017 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Letter: Hanford manager should be based in Tri-Cities."