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Report Calls Hanford Tank Waste Among Top Federal Challenges For 2018 

File photo. Construction of the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant is behind schedule and over budget.
Hanford Vit Plant
File photo. Construction of the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant is behind schedule and over budget.

Cleaning up radioactive waste contained in tanks at the Hanford nuclear reservation is one of the top challenges facing the U.S. Department of Energy. That’s according a new special report by the department’s Inspector General.

The independent oversight arm of the U.S. Department of Energy didn’t mince words. 
It says there are about 88 million gallons of radioactive tank waste across the nation that need to be cleaned up. And most is at Hanford. 


And the report notes that the factory meant to treat all of Hanford’s waste isn’t going so well. It’s behind schedule and will cost billions more than planned. 


The report also highlights problems that Hanford has had with its subcontractors. Specifically, several companies have agreed to pay a $125 million settlement for using substandard materials.

Hanford’s tank waste and treatment plant were ranked at the top of the Department of Energy’s concerns along with cyber security and safeguarding the nation’s nuclear stockpile.

Copyright 2017 Northwest News Network

Anna King calls Richland, Washington home and loves unearthing great stories about people in the Northwest. She reports for the Northwest News Network from a studio at Washington State University, Tri-Cities. She covers the Mid-Columbia region, from nuclear reactors to Mexican rodeos.