State seeks answers about Hanford delays
YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) - Washington state is threatening legal action if the federal government doesn't respond to questions about cleanup delays at the nation's most contaminated nuclear site.
The biggest questions center on a massive waste treatment plant under construction at the highly contaminated Hanford nuclear reservation. The U.S. Department of Energy has said it may not be able to meet the 2022 operating deadline for the plant established under a court-ordered consent decree when Washington last sued over missed deadlines.
In a letter to Energy Secretary Stephen Chu released Thursday, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and state Attorney General Rob McKenna gave the agency until Sept. 26 to respond to their questions about the delays or face returning to court.
The plant will convert highly radioactive waste into a stable, glass form for disposal.
The biggest questions center on a massive waste treatment plant under construction at the highly contaminated Hanford nuclear reservation. The U.S. Department of Energy has said it may not be able to meet the 2022 operating deadline for the plant established under a court-ordered consent decree when Washington last sued over missed deadlines.
In a letter to Energy Secretary Stephen Chu released Thursday, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and state Attorney General Rob McKenna gave the agency until Sept. 26 to respond to their questions about the delays or face returning to court.
The plant will convert highly radioactive waste into a stable, glass form for disposal.
