Missouri’s governor requested some $220,000 from the state legislature to oversee the federal government’s cleanup of Manhattan Project waste in the state and help local governments look for more contamination.
The money, $221,131 in total, would go to the Radioactive Waste Investigation fund at the Division of Environmental Quality within the state’s Department of Natural Resources. Missouri’s fiscal year begins July 1.
“Due to the increased interest in the radiological remediation projects currently underway and to numerous issues that have drawn the public interest, it is anticipated that the department will receive numerous requests for investigations,” reads Gov. Mike Parson’s (R) budget request.
The request follows more than a year of contentious back-and-forth between Missouri politicians and the federal government over Manhattan Project-era radioactive contamination found in Coldwater Creek outside of St. Louis. A 2022 report detailed findings of contamination near the Jana Elementary School.
The funding Parsons seeks would all come from the Missouri’s General Revenue Fund. A little more than $70,000 would pay for a full-time engineer. Another $150,000 would be available to local governments who want to contract out their own investigations for radioactive waste.
Normally, funds for radioactive waste investigations in Missouri could be provided by the state’s Hazardous Waste Fund, but that fund is bordering on insolvency, according to the governor’s budget request.
