PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon officials are raising concerns about contamination at the Hanford nuclear site reaching the Columbia River.
The U.S. Department of Energy, which manages cleanup at the south-central Washington site, is taking public comments on its proposal for cleaning up storage tanks and managing waste. The proposal projects that some radioactive contaminants could threaten the Columbia River for thousands of years.
Ken Niles, assistant director of the Oregon Department of Energy, says that should force the government to review its long-term cleanup plans at Hanford.
The report also discusses the government’s plan to import some radioactive waste from other sites to Hanford after 2022, which Niles says poses unacceptable risks.
