The Washington state Department of Ecology kicked off a 45-day comment period Monday on proposed changes to its permit for the Waste Treatment Plant being built by Bechtel at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site.
The state is inviting public comment until March 17 on the closure plan for the $17-billion facility designed to convert radioactive tank waste leftover from decades of plutonium production into a glass form for eventual disposal. Bechtel and DOE are scheduled to start feeding low-activity waste into the plant by the end of 2023.
The closure plan lays out the steps needed to close the Dangerous Waste Management Units at the vitrification plant. This includes removing hazardous and mixed waste and the decontamination of the permitted units, ancillary equipment and other material, according to the state notice.
The closure plan is included under the Dangerous Waste Portion for the Treatment, Storage, and Disposal section of the state permit, according to Ecology. A link to the comment page is available here.
A public hearing is not currently scheduled, but to request one contact Daina McFadden, Ecology’s permit communication specialist, by emailing [email protected].
