JAPANESE DELEGATION AT HANFORD FOR FUKUSHIMA WORKSHOP

A Japanese delegation is visiting Hanford this week to exchange information with experts across the Department of Energy complex to help with cleanup following the Fukushima nuclear disaster. “The Energy Department’s environmental cleanup mission is one of the world’s largest programs of its type and a key element of the program’s success to date has been a sharing of practices and cooperation with our international partners,” said Lindsey Geisler, a DOE spokeswoman. The workshop includes experts from DOE, the national laboratories, the Environmental Protection Agency, and cleanup site contractors. Topics being discussed include cleanup of soil and ground water; radioactive waste storage, treatment and disposal; removal of damaged spent fuel and debris from storage pools; deactivation and decommissioning of facilities; and public communication with Japan. This is the second workshop, with the first held in Tokyo.