compiled by Dee Finney
Hanford Department of Energy, Indian Nations Program
The DOE is responsible for the cleanup of the Hanford nuclear site in southeastern Washington state. Four tribes have cultural or treaty rights to the lands of Hanford, including the Nez Perce, the Umatilla, Yakima and Wanapum. This site describes the working relationships between Native Americans and the DOE. Some information about the environmental offices of these nations. (1997).
Hastings criticizes Initiative 297
This story was published Thursday, August 26th, 2004
By Annette Cary Herald staff writer
The warning came as a break from the congressman's long-held policy of remaining publicly neutral on state ballot initiatives. Initiatives are for voters, not elected officials, to decide, he believes.
But I-297 would be so harmful that he is publicly opposing it, Hastings said in a speech to the Tri-City Area Chamber of Commerce."It is deeply flawed and should be defeated," he said.
The initiative to be decided in November would attempt to block nuclear waste from being imported to Hanford from other Department of Energy weapons sites. Supporters want no more radioactive waste to be brought to Hanford while DOE still has massive amounts of waste to clean up there from the past production of plutonium for the nation's nuclear weapons program.
"We in the Tri-Cities know that the most dangerous wastes at Hanford are on schedule to be shipped out of our community and out of our state for storage at national repositories in other states," Hastings said.
But refusing to accept waste from other sites could jeopardize that plan, he said.
Waste now scheduled to be shipped from Hanford to other states includes 10,000 canisters of glassified high-level waste from underground tanks, 104,000 nuclear reactor fuel rods, 18 tons of plutonium-bearing materials and 2,000 nuclear waste capsules, he said. In addition, work has started on shipping 120,000 drums of plutonium-contaminated waste to a repository in New Mexico.
Original http://www.greatdreams.com/hanford_nuclear_waste.
Useful Link Hanford Watch Organization
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