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State officials, tribal and labor leaders warn DOE against pausing Hanford waste treatment; say they will seek court enforcement
Summary
At a Tri-Cities press availability, state officials, tribal representatives and union leaders urged the Department of Energy to proceed with hot commissioning of the Hanford waste treatment plant, citing a federal court order and saying the state will seek enforcement if DOE halts the project.
TRI-CITIES, Wash. — State officials, tribal leaders and union representatives gathered in the Tri-Cities to press the federal government to go forward with the startup of Hanford's waste treatment plant, saying any pause would breach an existing federal court order and threaten jobs and public health.
David Replug, vice president for federal programs at the Tri City Development Council (TRIDEC) and executive director of Hanford Communities, told the crowd that Hanford cleanup "is critically important to the Tri City community" and noted the scale of the challenge: 56,000,000 gallons of tank waste stored in 177 tanks, some of them more than 80 years old. He said the Direct Feed Low Activity Waste Facility is scheduled to begin treating low-activity tank waste within weeks and that "time is our common enemy." Replug thanked U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Maria Cantwell and Rep. Dan Newhouse for working with state leaders on the issue.
The governor (unnamed in the transcript) said the state is…
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