Now - February 2, 2022: The federal government is about to make a major decision about the future of radioactive tank waste at the Hanford Nuclear Site.
ACT: Future of Radioactive Tank Waste at Hanford
The federal government is about to make a major decision at Hanford! The U.S. Dept. of Energy’s (Energy) plan to retrieve and grout 2,000 gallons from the infamous Tank SY-101 will determine the future of radioactive tank waste at Hanford. Hanford’s tanks hold some of the nation’s most toxic, radioactive waste. Pollution from Hanford’s tanks has already entered Hanford’s soils, groundwater, and some has reached the Columbia River.
But there are problems with Energy’s proposed cleanup plan. Energy’s Test Bed Initiative (TBI) and its phased approach has excluded public involvement, limited environmental review, and raises real safety and environmental concerns that Energy must first address. Energy’s latest move is beginning to look more like cutting corners than cutting waste.
We have until February 2nd to tell Energy it must address these concerns before proceeding. Sign the petition today!
We are asking that Energy address these key safety and environmental concerns:
- The accountability of offsite grouting and disposal facilities,
- The efficacy of grout,
- Energy’s unacceptable attempt to reclassify High Level Waste to Low Level Waste,
- The possibility of orphaned waste on site,
- The lack of public engagement throughout the TBI environmental review process.
For more information on the comment period, check out Columbia Riverkeeper’s Fact Sheet.
Miss our recent webinar where we discussed this comment period? No problem, check it out here. Read our panelist’s comments on the Environmental Assessment for the TBI: Yakama Nation Comments, Ecology Comments, Hanford Challenge Comments.
Check out Columbia Riverkeeper's technical comments about the Test Bed Initiative (February 2022)
