Too early to gauge impact of Hanford departures, says site boss

Brian Vance, the Department of Energy’s manager of the Hanford Site in Washington state said Wednesday it is too early to tell how White House personnel policies might affect federal staff levels at the nuclear cleanup site.

“At this point I can’t speculate what the numbers will look like over time,” Vance said in response to members of the Hanford Advisory Board (HAB). People are still considering “opting in and opting out,” Vance said of the Office of Personnel Management deferred resignation program. “It’s a dynamic situation.”

The program, first described in a January “fork in the road” memo from the Office of Personnel Management, has been held up under a temporary restraining order from a federal judge in Massachusetts. A HAB member subsequently asked if the “fork” initiative would not have a significant impact on Hanford.

“At this moment in time, I’m saying I can’t answer the question because I don’t have the information to know,” Vance said. He also told the DOE advisory board there are perhaps 13,000 “badged” employees working at Hanford, the vast majority employed by contractors and subcontractors.  

The program from the Donald Trump administration would enable many federal employees to essentially receive a buyout and be paid through September. Critics of the plan have questioned how the administration can make such a promise given the federal government is only funded through a continuing resolution through March 14.

Vance alluded to the stopgap funding situation during his usual review of ongoing Hanford operations. “I cannot speculate on what’s going to happen on the 14th of March. I don’t think anybody can,” Vance said.