Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Senators, Congressman Pile On To Call For Hanford Vapor Fix

Tobin Fricke
/
Wikimedia

 

For the third time this week, there are calls to protect workers from hazardous vapors at Hanford, this time from Washington’s congressional delegation.

Workers say fumes from 56 million gallons of radioactive waste are sickening them. On Wednesday, the State of Washington announced it would sue the federal government unless a new plan for action was devised.

Then a day later, a coalition of citizens said they would sue, too.

Now, Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Rep. Adam Smith said in a letter to the U.S. Department of Energy that they’re pleased last month yielded an independent study of Hanford’s tank vapors by Savannah River National Laboratory. But now it’s time to implement the changes called for in that review.

Anna King calls Richland, Washington home and loves unearthing great stories about people in the Northwest. She reports for the Northwest News Network from a studio at Washington State University, Tri-Cities. She covers the Mid-Columbia region, from nuclear reactors to Mexican rodeos.