Sen. Wyden presses Energy secretary on Hanford nuke site risks

{mosads}The letter asks why quality control and quality assurance failures are not addressed in a DOE “framework” released last month for retrieving, treating and disposing of 56 million gallons of radioactive and chemical wastes stored in 177 underground tanks at Hanford.

The sprawling Hanford site in Washington State is around 35 miles north of the Oregon border, and sits along the Columbia River that flows through both states. The badly contaminated site is a legacy of decades of producing plutonium for nuclear weapons.

Wyden is concerned about leakage of chemical and radioactive waste from Hanford polluting the river.

His new letter also asks how the DOE will address similar quality control problems at other nuclear sites. From the letter:

In light of the persistence of these quality control and quality assurance problems at the project, I am surprised that this issue is not addressed in the framework document released last month. The IG report also notes that this problem is not unique to WTP and that similar quality problems recently occurred at another major Environmental Management project in Idaho – the Sodium Bearing Waste Treatment Project, and at Savannah River.  Please explain why this issue is not included in the framework and describe what actions the Department will be taking to address this longstanding problem at WTP.  Finally, what steps will be taken within the EM organization to address this problem which, as documented by the Inspector General, extends beyond Hanford?