RICHLAND — The U.S. Department of Energy is at risk of missing new court-enforced deadlines for emptying some radioactive waste storage tanks on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
The leak-prone tanks contain wastes left over from the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons.
The Energy Department notified the state Tuesday that two newly set tank deadlines were in jeopardy.
The Tri-City Herald reported that a federal judge extended deadlines in March after it became clear that Energy could not meet previous deadlines. Work has been slowed by safety precautions implemented to protect workers from breathing potentially toxic chemical vapors.
The first deadline at risk covers emptying five tanks by the end of 2020, and might be pushed back a year. A second deadline calls for emptying additional tanks by 2024, which could slip by two years.
