Mike Nartker
WC Monitor
8/29/2014
With the latest round of talks between the Department of Energy and Washington state on a new path forward for the cleanup of Hanford’s tank waste set to come to an end next week, DOE is believed to be leaning toward accepting—at least in some small part—the state’s call for new tank space capacity at the site, WC Monitor has learned. The exact number of new tanks to be built, each of which could cost more than $100 million, remains unclear. Both DOE and the Washington State Department of Ecology largely declined to comment on the issue this week, citing the ongoing negotiations.
DOE and Washington state have been in talks for months over proposals to amend the 2010 Consent Decree that governs the cleanup of Hanford’s tank waste due to the Department’s acknowledgement that it will likely miss a number of milestones tied to completion of the site’s Waste Treatment Plant and some linked to retrieval of waste from Hanford’s single-shell tanks. In its proposal, Washington state called for DOE to establish 8 million gallons of new double-shell tank capacity—4 million gallons by 2022 and the remainder by 2024. It’s unlikely that DOE would agree to the full extent of the state’s proposal for new capacity although a smaller amount of new tanks—perhaps representing 2 or 3 million gallons—is a possibility. The state’s proposal also would set a significant number of new milestones to track the progress of the various WTP facilities.
One concern that has been raised over the idea of building new waste tanks at Hanford is how to pay for them in what is expected to be a tight budgetary climate for DOE’s cleanup program for the foreseeable future. In its proposal to amend the Consent Decree, DOE did not include construction of new tanks, and proposed waiting on setting firm deadlines for completion of some portions of the Hanford vit plant until technical issues are fully addressed. The latest round of talks between DOE and Washington state are set to come to an end Sept. 5. If an agreement is not reached by then, either DOE or Washington state could choose to take the matter to court.
DOE Officials Previously Questioned Need for New Tanks
While DOE may now be more willing to build new waste tanks at Hanford, Department officials have previously questioned such a move. “Our view is we should stay focused on the mission at hand,” then-DOE cleanup chief David Huizenga said when asked about Washington state’s proposal during a hearing the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee held on DOE’s Fiscal Year 2015 cleanup budget in April. He went on to say, “We think the waste that is currently stored in the double-shell tanks can be safely stored for the foreseeable future. … We believe that the best approach is to keep monitoring and stay focused on the long-term approach of making glass.”
Settlement Talks Underway on Order to Pump Damaged Tank
Meanwhile, DOE and Washington state are also in the midst of settlement talks on an order the state has issued to the Department to begin pumping waste from a damaged double-shell tank at Hanford. This spring, the state of Washington ordered DOE to begin pumping waste from Tank AY-102 by Sept. 1, at least 18 months ahead of when the Department was preparing to begin work. In April, DOE filed an appeal of the order with the State Pollution Control Hearing Board, saying that removing the waste from the tank could pose safety concerns. A hearing on DOE’s appeal is set for Oct. 27. In a written response this week, Washington State Department of Ecology spokesman Dieter Bohrmann said, “Ecology has met twice with DOE and the contractor to discuss settlement of the appeal, and settlement discussions are ongoing.” He added, “We are hopeful that a settlement will be reached very soon.”
In a separate response late this week, a DOE spokesperson said, “The Department of Energy’s Office of River Protection (ORP) is engaged in ongoing discussions with the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology). ORP will continue to work with Ecology on the path forward for this tank, and is committed to safely managing the tank farms to protect the workers, public and the environment.”
Tank AY-102 was the first double-shell tank built at Hanford, and currently holds about 850,000 gallons of waste. A leak was first discovered in the inner shell of the tank in the summer of 2012, and to date waste has been discovered in three locations between the tank’s inner and outer shells. DOE has said, though, that there are no signs waste has entered the environment from the tank. In its order, Washington state directed DOE to start removing sludge from the tank, in addition to liquids, by Dec. 1, 2015. Complete removal of enough waste to determine the cause of the leak is required by Dec. 1, 2016. DOE has said, though, that removing the liquid portion of the waste could increase the heat generated by the underlying sludge waste, thereby increasing corrosion concerns and potentially contributing to the generation of hydrogen. DOE has also expressed concern that removing waste from AY-102 could reduce the remaining space available in Hanford’s other double-shell tanks, which are used to store material taken from the site’s single-shell tanks.
