SPOKANE – The governors of Washington and Oregon are asking President Donald Trump to increase the funding for Hanford Nuclear Reservation cleanup efforts.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, both Democrats, made the request to the Republican president in a letter released on Friday.
The letter noted an incident earlier this month when the roof of a tunnel containing radioactive waste partially collapsed at Hanford.
The governors said the incident is a reminder of the challenges and urgency needed in cleaning up the Hanford site.
Cleaning up the former plutonium production site is expected to last until 2060 and cost more than $100 billion, above the $19 billion already spent. The president has proposed spending $2.3 billion on Hanford cleanup this year.
