Staff reports
WC Monitor
6/6/2014
The clock ran out June 3 on a 40-day dispute resolution period for Hanford’s court-enforced consent decree. The Department of Energy would like to continue discussions on proposed amendments to the 2010 consent decree, it said. The state of Washington said it is considering its options but that no decision had been made as of June 5. The consent decree required that the parties engage in at least 40 days of dispute resolution before asking the federal court to intervene. DOE has told the state that most of the remaining milestones in the consent decree are at risk, including a milestone to have the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant at full operation in 2022. On April 23, DOE rejected the state’s proposed amendments to the consent decree and triggered the dispute resolution. The state also rejected DOE’s proposed amendments.
DOE has engaged in good faith discussions with the state and believes discussions have been constructive, DOE said in a statement. Washington state Governor Jay Inslee (D) discussed the consent decree in a visit to the Tri-Cities four days before the dispute resolution period ended, saying some progress had been made in negotiations, but talks had a long way to go. “We continue in discussions with the federal government and want it to be a good partner,” he said. “That has not happened yet.” But the state remains hopeful and resolute that negotiations will result in the federal government meeting cleanup commitments, he said.
Local Officials Concerned Over State’s Proposal
The governor met with the Tri-Cities Washington Development Council (TRIDEC) and other local officials and left open the possibility that he would continue discussions with TRIDEC in the next few weeks, said Gary Petersen, TRIDEC vice president of Hanford programs. TRIDEC is concerned about the state’s proposed lengthy and detailed list of new milestones and requirements related to tanks and the Waste Treatment Plant, including that new tanks be built to hold 8 million gallons of waste. DOE has put the cost of new tanks at $800 million. TRIDEC has said that the state should consider more immediate risks that could be robbed of funding if a court requires DOE to implement the state’s amendment. Projects that pose an immediate risk to the public and the environment include K Basin sludge, cesium and strontium capsules and a uranium plume threatening groundwater, according to TRIDEC.
Inslee said during a brief press conference that DOE must honor its cleanup commitments to the state. He discounted concerns that returning the issue to federal court could slow progress at Hanford while the case is being decided, saying he is confident that the state’s strategy will speed up the pace of environmental cleanup. TRIDEC has estimated that the state’s proposed amendment to the consent decree would add up to $400 million annually to Hanford cleanup costs, without adding in costs of new tanks. The state will not accept lack of funds as an excuse for the federal government not to meet its commitments at Hanford, Inslee said.
State Sen. Sharon Brown, who was among the community leaders who met with Inslee, said “I’m frustrated because the emphasis needs to be on cleanup and not on negotiations.” The objective in the meeting with Inslee was to have an open, honest and candid discussion about issues surrounding Hanford and to give the governor a chance to hear the views of Tri-City-area residents, she said. Hanford has made significant progress on cleanup, including treating contaminated groundwater and is close to completing river corridor cleanup, said Kennewick Mayor Steve Young, who also met with Inslee. Continued work on the river corridor and to build the Waste Treatment Plant are higher priorities than building new storage tanks, he said. Diverting money to build new tanks would put continued work on important cleanup elsewhere at Hanford at high risk, he said. Inslee’s interest in Hanford and the Tri-Cities and his aggressive stand on environmental cleanup is appreciated, Young said. But Inslee should seek out the Tri-City community as a partner and a resource in his discussions about Hanford, he said.
