Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
Cantwell and Washington State Congressional Delegation to Biden: Hanford Cleanup Funds “A Top Priority For … the State of Washington”
New waste removal system debuting this year must be fully-funded, say bipartisan group of legislators
EDMONDS, WA – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined the entire bipartisan Washington congressional delegation in a letter to President Biden calling for adequate funding of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget to support Hanford cleanup operations.
In the letter, the members note that the cleanup is at a “critical juncture,” with the debut of the Tank Side Cesium Removal system, which will help turn low-level waste into glass.
The delegation wrote, in part:
“While significant cleanup progress has been made over the years, it is of the utmost importance that the federal government fund cleanup efforts at adequate levels for both Richland Operations and the Office of River Protection and with changing needs in mind. We are proud to work in concert and ensure that Hanford has the resources it needs to address current projects and plan for emerging needs in the future.”
“This is a top priority for our constituents, the state of Washington, the communities surrounding DOE’s Hanford Site, and regional Tribes.”
Senator Cantwell has long championed Hanford clean-up and played a leading role in defending its budget against cuts. In January 2021, at the nomination hearing for current Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Senator Cantwell secured a pledge to fully fund Hanford cleanup from the nominee. Secretary Granholm visited the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland and the Hanford site in August and discussed the need for funding with Senator Cantwell. Throughout the Trump administration Senator Cantwell repeatedly led the charge in opposing drastic cuts to the Hanford budget, and in 2020 she led a successful effort to defeat a provision in the annual National Defense Authorization Act that could have diverted billions in funding.
In addition to Senator Cantwell, the letter was signed by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and U.S. Representatives Suzan DelBene (D, WA-01), Rick Larsen (D, WA-02), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R, WA-03), Dan Newhouse (R, WA-04), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R, WA-05), Derek Kilmer (D, WA-06), Pramila Jayapal (D, WA-07), Kim Schrier, M.D. (D, WA-08), Adam Smith (D, WA-09), and Marilyn Strickland (D, WA-10).
The full text of the letter is available HERE.
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