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Inslee: Feds Did Not Provide 'Comprehensive' Hanford Cleanup Plan

Gov. Jay Inslee says the U.S. Department of Energy is failing to provide him a “comprehensive” Hanford cleanup plan.

The Democrats’ comments follow a face-to-face meeting Monday with the secretary of energy who made a special trip to meet with the governor.

Inslee says he appreciates Secretary Ernest Moniz’s visit to the Capitol to talk Hanford cleanup. But in a statement after the meeting, Inslee said the secretary’s draft cleanup plan lacks a “level of detail” the state of Washington is seeking.

Inslee says he will now consult with state Attorney General Bob Ferguson and the Washington Department of Ecology about next steps. That could include more legal action.

The feds are responsible for removing and treating 56 million gallons of hazardous and nuclear waste at the Cold War-era site in southeast Washington. Buried waste tanks are leaking and construction on a multi-billion dollar treatment plant is years delayed because of technical challenges.

Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy as well as the Washington State legislature. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program "Inside Olympia." Prior to joining the Northwest News Network, Austin worked as a television reporter in Seattle, Portland and Boise. Austin is a graduate of Garfield High School in Seattle and Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. Austin’s reporting has been recognized with awards from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated and the Society of Professional Journalists.