Hanford Nuclear Reservation

What an incoming Trump administration could mean for Hanford clean-up

Jeanie Lindsay

President Donald Trump's administration will have to face one of our state's thorniest environmental problems: radioactive waste warehoused in southeast Washington.

A silver metal fence is pictured, with various warning signs about hazardous waste and industrial structures in the background

Environment

What Trump’s second term could mean for Hanford and WA’s toxic sludge

Jeanie Lindsay

A conservative policy roadmap — and past actions from the new president's first term — could offer clues as to what he might have in store for one of the most radioactive places in the world.

A sign at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is posted near Richland, Wash., on Aug. 14, 2019. Three tribes have devoted decades to returning their ancestral lands in Washington to the days before they became the most radioactively contaminated site in the nation’s nuclear weapons complex. But the Yakama Nation, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and Nez Perce Tribe have been left out of negotiations on a major decision affecting the future cleanup of millions of gallons of radioactive waste stored in underground tanks on the reservation.

Environment

WA state, federal agencies finalize agreement for tank waste cleanup at Hanford

Anna King

Washington state and two federal agencies have finalized a deal on how to clean up the radioactive tank waste in Hanford.

A sign on chain-linked fence warning of hazardous waste out side of a large scaffolding like structure

Environment

Tribes, environmentalists gather forces against Amazon’s Northwest nuclear plan

Antonio Sierra

Amazon’s push for small modular nuclear reactors is just the latest development in a decades-long fight over nuclear energy.

Talks at Hanford Nuclear Reservation resume after security officer lockout

Gabriel Spitzer

The sides had been arguing over pay and working conditions when talks broke down. The company then barred the workers from their shifts and brought in replacements.

Historical hazardous signs nailed to planks of wood attached to a wall.

Government

Project 2025 calls for massive changes to Hanford nuclear cleanup

John Stang

The Heritage Foundation’s blueprint proposes reclassifying radioactive waste as something less dangerous so it can be disposed of more cheaply.

A dome-shaped building off in the distance with hills further off into the distance.

Environment

Sites with radioactive material more vulnerable as climate change increases risks

The Associated Press

Climate change increasingly threatens some of the nation's most sensitive sites, including research laboratories, military facilities and power plants with radioactive materials.

A 2021 aerial photo of Hanford’s 200 Area, which houses the tanks and under-construction Waste Treatment Plant, in southeast Washington.

Environment

Government agencies announce new plans to handle contamination at Hanford site

Anna King

Three government agencies made a plan public for how to move forward and clean up radioactive waste from large, underground tanks at the Hanford site in southeast Washington.

The last in-person public meeting about Hanford cleanup was in Richland in 2019.

Environment

Hanford managers and watchdogs hold first in-person cleanup meeting since before pandemic

Anna King

Hanford managers and watchdogs hold public meeting to discuss current cleanup and future plans at the site

David Turk, federal Deputy Secretary of Energy, speaks to about 100 people during an informational meeting about potential clean energy development at Hanford.

Government

Energy Department beckons clean energy development at Hanford

Anna King

Companies are interested, but it could be complicated to develop lands with multiple layers of tribal, federal and even complex-science concerns