Hanford nuclear plant continues to pose serious threat to PacificNorthwest

Hanford Plant

Hanford, Washington has been one of the areas along the West Coast that scientists believe is dangerous.  That's because there are leaks in the tanks that hold nuclear waste, and these tanks have lasted past their expiration date, which means these leaks can be particularly serious.

This is of particular importance as Washington Senator Patty Murray worries there is not enough money to fund the project at the level necessary to prevent a catastrophe.  She complains that funding cuts have taken place because of the large amount of money necessary for the project to build new containers for the nuclear waste.  Already the project is considerably behind the projected schedule for completion.

The Energy Department maintains that the shortfall is due to congress' unwillingness to maintain the level of funding needed to clean up Hanford and that it will be $8 million short over the next ten years.

Hanford, Washington is located just a few miles from the Tri-Cities of Pasco, Kennewick and Richland, Washington.  These small towns form the bedrock of the engineering activities that brought nuclear power to Washington, as the economy flourished there in the 1960's.  John F. Kennedy made a trip to the area in 1963, shortly before his death, to commemorate the building of a new reactor that year.

The plant was established as part of the maintenance program of nuclear energy the United States had maintained for the development of energy alternatives as well as weapons that were especially critical during the Cold War years.

But the research and development of the nuclear power plants brought increasing alarm about waste products and leaking from the area.  Many people maintained their health problems, including cancer, miscarriages, infertility and other diseases were related to exposure to nuclear material that leaked into the soil and water.  Litigation has taken place over many years, with some of the court cases continuing to be reviewed.  The evidence, however, that leaks were the direct cause of the health problems has not, however, been proven to the satisfaction of the courts.

The Columbia River is the major tributary believed poised to be polluted the most in the event of a major leak.  Some folks believe that leaks have already occurred and polluted the river in some areas.  The location of the plant offers a level of vulnerability not just to the State of Washington but also Oregon and the coastline to Canada.

Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, has announced his concerns that the documents he has seen show construction flaws in the tanks at Hanford, even as the cutbacks in funds has created alarm that there won't be sufficient money to encase the nuclear waste properly. tion for the Department of Energy to share more with the public about construction flaws in the double-shelled tanks is stirring up opinions.

Senator Wyden reportedly wrote a letter to Ernest Moniz, Department of Energy Secretary, stating, "The citizens living along banks of the Columbia River deserve to know the full story of what is happening with the Hanford tanks."

Dick Cheney, formerly Vice President under George W. Bush, however disagrees that government should be more involved and transparent in its involvement.  He is quoted as saying,"Get the government out of it. Let the people here, the engineers and the local people, who I believe are honest and hard workers, take car of the problem," says Dick Cheney, who disagrees with more politicians getting involved.

Many of the engineers in the Hanford area are worried about the reactor waste.  This is true especially concerning the cleanup project that some say has had so many secrets, delays, lack of funding and other issues that it has been difficult to get straight answers or to get the needed materials and work done.  There is enough radioactive waste deep under the earth that it poses a hazard to the health of the immediate community and the potential for another Fukushima tragedy.

It is referred to by experts as one of the most treacherously dangerous places on earth.

West Coast earthquake predictions plus Hanford nuclear waste leaks offer frightening scenario

Hanford Atomic Plant

Carol Forsloff----Two recent reports from the news, and from citizen organizations, underline the terrible and real possibility that a widespread area of the West Coast, from California to Canada, can be devastated by a combination of earthquakes and nuclear waste leaks.

Hanford Nuclear Plant, the site of much of the research and development of the nation's nuclear arsenal, has waste tanks that are leaking.  The leaks threaten the natural environment, but coupled with the reality of a real earthquake, that is said to be a when not and if possibility,  with deadly consequences.

Already scientists are concerned enough about the earthquakes predicted on the West Coast, that they are offering maps of what they consider will be the most affected areas.  Earthquakes are a real possibility near the Hanford site.  Some scientists declare Hanford to be the most dangerous place on earth.

These two stories, of great importance to the West Coast of the United States, are touched upon in the mainstream press, mostly in the small towns surrounding Hanford or in Oregon, Washington and California, where earthquake predictions have become increasingly common.  But the acknowledgment of the dangers from the combined forces of nuclear waste, causing explosions, and the additional risk for earthquakes that could impact the nuclear plant,  and increase the dangers, is seldom brought out in detail to the American public.

The US government states it won't be until 2019 before the containment of nuclear waste is completed.  And the delays are exacerbated by the federal cutbacks from the lack of budget passage.   Although the conservative folks declare that the discussions about the federal budget's negative impacts were exaggerated, it turns out that physical safety might be the prime and urgent reason for both political parties in the United States to come together to "get it done", i.e. pass a budget so that serious risks to populated areas can be minimized, or aborted, by early containment of nuclear waste and preparation of the populace and protections as well referencing the upcoming earthquake(s).

A new report maintains "there is a 100 percent chance of a monster earthquake occurring in the region – but scientists don’t know when.

"This earthquake will hit us again," Kent Yu, an engineer and chairman of the commission, told lawmakers. "It's just a matter of how soon."

Gov Inslee of Washington State addresses perils of nuclear leak at Hanford

[caption id="attachment_17884" align="alignright" width="469"] Activists rally against Hanford Nuclear plant April 2012[/caption]

Carol Forsloff —Due to the major significance of the leak of toxic waste from the Hanford Nuclear Plant in Central Washington, this magazine will provide ongoing details of the event. The following is the official statement from the Governor the State of Washington, Jay Inslee, addressing the issues by way of an official press release:

Governor Inslee's statement on news of Hanford leak

The U.S. Department of Energy has determined that one of the single-shell tanks storing radioactive waste at Hanford is leaking liquids in the range of 150 to 300 gallons per year. The leaking tank was built in the 1940's and was stabilized in February 1995, when all pumpable liquids were removed by agreement with the State. The tank currently contains approximately 447,000 gallons of sludge, a mixture of solids and liquids with a mud-like consistency. This is the first tank which has been documented to be losing liquids since interim stabilization was completed in 2005. There are a total of 177 tanks at the Hanford site, 149 of which are single shell tanks.

Statement from Gov. Jay Inslee:

Secretary Chu called me this morning with the news of a newly leaking single shell tank at Hanford.

I am alarmed and deeply concerned by this news. This was a problem we thought was under control, years ago, when the liquids were pumped from the tanks and the sludge was stabilized. We can't just leave 149 single-shell tanks with high-level radioactive liquid and sludge siting in the ground, for decades after their design life.

Let me be clear: Washington State has a zero tolerance policy on radioactive leakage. We will not tolerate any leaks of this material to the environment.

Fortunately, there is no immediate public health risk. The newly discovered leak may not hit the groundwater for many years, and we have a groundwater treatment system in place that provides a last defense for the river. However, the fact that this tank is one of the farthest from the river is not an excuse for delay. It is a call to act now.

I am appreciative of Secretary Chu's personal attention to this matter, and know he will deploy all technically-possible solutions to address the leaking tank. I will meet with the Secretary next week in DC, to hear about the Department's progress on stopping the leak and preventing any further tank leaks at Hanford.

This news is a sharp reminder, a wakeup call, that we can't be complacent, or waiver in any way, on our nation's commitment to clean up Hanford. I know this is a time of tight budgets, but with an active leak of high-level radioactive material into the environment, money can't be an excuse for inaction.

Congress and the federal government must provide the funding needed to address the leaking tank, to verify the condition of the remaining tanks, to build additional interim storage or take other necessary steps to prevent further releases, and to get the long-term solution, the waste treatment plant, completed without further delays.

It is their moral and legal obligation to the citizens of the Northwest and I will do everything in my power to make sure they live up to that.

Hanford Reactor site leaking toxic waste, long-term risk to NW U.S.

[caption id="attachment_14981" align="alignright" width="480"] Hanford plant - wikimedia commons[/caption]

GHN — In the spring of 2012, a large group of activists gathered in Richland to demonstrate against the nuclear plant at Hanford and express their concern about the environmental threats posed by the toxic waste in containers from the now non-active nuclear reactors that are said to be leaking into the soil in the Tri-Cities area of Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland.  Today's news brought an announcement from the Department of Energy regarding a leak that has provoked Governor Jay Inslee to plan an immediate trip to Washington DC to stress his concern about the long-term risk created by these leaks.

Some scientists refer to Hanford as "the most toxic waste dump in the world" because of the toxic waste that is maintained in containers said to be deteriorating in capacity to contain it, thus posing a serious threat to the environment and people of the region. Washington State Governor Jay Inslee says that, "The leak raises concerns about the integrity of other storage facilities at the highly contaminated site".

The fact is that a leak of any kind in an area where radioactive waste presents a serious threat to the environment of much of the Pacific Northwest, is a serious matter, according to Washington State Governor Jay Inslee.

As reported by Green Heritage News Network in February 2012, an additional concern is that even though the project for cocooning the reactors with new containers is said to be ahead of schedule, there could be an earthquake of major proportions caused by damage to the earth's crust, according to some scientists, as occurred in Japan in 2011. Hanford at one time was said to have produced 25 percent of the world's plutonium.

Money for the continuation of the project has to be funded by Congress. Congress is presently facing an impasse over the allocation of funds for various projects in the United States. Governor Inslee wants to underline the urgency of monitoring closely the work being done at the plant to contain the toxic waste. Two scientists were said to have been threatened with termination, and in the case of one of them who was fired, told not to discuss their concerns about the lack of necessary oversight in the construction of the containers.

One critical issue is the fact that the leaking has been ongoing and poses a potential long-term threat to the Pacific Northwest because of the Columbia River's span into Oregon and Washington. There remains concern about the drinking water and the soil for farming and other human activities.

This news is being carried front page in Northwest newspapers but was not mentioned in the national news from NBC on Friday evening and given a brief news bite on CNN during the day. It is, however, a major source of concern for many of the world scientists involved in reducing contamination and the threat of toxic waste to the environment and the population of the Pacific Northwest

 

 

 

 

Hanford Nuclear Plant to be target of major weekend demonstrations

[caption id="attachment_3526" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Nuclear plume at Hanford"][/caption]

This weekend people will be arriving in Richland, Washington, a town just on the outskirts of the Hanford Nuclear Plant, in protest of the nuclear waste that could cause a serious explosion and create a disaster much greater than Japan's earthquake, environmentalists maintain.

Individuals from the Portland Occupy community, religious groups, ordinary citizens and members of the media are traveling on Sunday for an afternoon protest in the central area of Richland.

The Tri-Cities, Pasco, Kennewick and Richland, are the major populated areas most directly effected by the Hanford Nuclear plant and waste dump that is reported by many scientists to be the most toxic place on earth.

GHN's Journal of Humanitarian Affairs will be on hand this weekend to cover the events.  This author lived in both Pasco and Richland during the early 1960's when most people were innocent of the environmental risks caused by nuclear waste.

Years later nuclear energy, which is touted by many as a solution to the energy crisis, remains part of a major debate on how to develop alternatives for gas and oil.  It also remains worrisome to the many West Coast residents, from Oregon to Canada, who could be impacted by a major accident at the Hanford Plant.

Earthquakes a ticking bomb from "fracking" and nuclear power

[caption id="attachment_14981" align="alignleft" width="300"] Hanford plant - wikimedia commons[/caption]

Carol Forsloff - While politicians claim they know the answers to the nation's energy needs,  risks to people and their environment remain of serious concern to scientists, especially those risks involving earthquakes, death and disease from the processes that had been once touted as safe.

Worries regarding the San Onofre reactor in California, recently shut down because of a radiation leak and damaged equipment,  have once again caused scientists to worry about the nuclear waste and the active reactor at Hanford in Eastern Washington as well.

While folks in California are watching what happens to the nuclear energy issues, hydraulic fracturing has been in the headlines too.  Hydraulic fracturing is the process used to extract natural gas, an optional energy source that has been highly touted by the oil and gas industries.  But concerns about the environmental damage caused by this process has caused more and more people to wonder what's the solution for finding new energy and whether or not it is worth the risks to the environment to have nuclear energy and hydraulic fracturing as methods of meeting the growing demand for energy.

On April 5 Common Dreams reported that a  US Geological Survey research team has determined that the process of drilling for oil and natural gas is responsible for many of the earthquakes that have occurred in the United States from Alabama to the Northern Rockies.

In the Pacific Northwest there are folks who continue to raise concerns about the Hanford Nuclear Plant in Eastern Washington State.  While most of the reactors were shut down many years ago, there remains a consistent concern that the nuclear waste and lack of safety precautions and proper oversight will continue to create the potential for a major disaster that could impact the Columbia River, a waterway that feeds into much of the Oregon - Washington lands.

Hanford, Washington is the site of the nation's first full-scale plutonium development facility.

In 1962 farmers reported many of their animals were born with severe deformities and nightmarish effects to function that became increasingly a concern for the residents surrounding the nuclear plant as well as people who lived in regions bordering on Canada.

240,000 people live in the immediate areas surrounding Hanford.   People talked about miscarriages, birth defects and rare diseases impacting children that increased following the development of the plant at Hanford.  Spiegel Online reports the story of a family's experience related to the time when in the 1960's,  when a farmer's wife, Juanita Andrewjewski,  created a "death map" of the area near her house.  She put crosses for heart disease and circles for cancer on that map.   Not long after this map was created, 67 people had been affected with these diseases.

Stewart Udall called Hanford the "most tragic chapter in American Cold War history."  He was Secretary of the Interior under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.

Initially folks took pride in the fact that Hanford had been chosen as the jewel in the crown of nuclear development, but that pride soon turned into great fear.  As Spiegel reports, residents of the Tri-Cities of Pasco, Kennewick and Richland, " are among the most highly radiated humans on earth."

Although Hanford closed down in 1989, it continues to have a live reactor as well as nuclear waste.  Only half of the waste has been entombed at a price in the billions, as the project of decontamination continues.  Nevertheless, the potential leaks and the age of the material and equipment pose substantial risks, and it will take approximately 15 more years of the decontamination process to complete the housing of the nuclear waste.

210 earthquakes happened in the Hanford area during 2010, the strongest measuring 3.0. But the fact that these earthquakes aren't so severe is not reassuring to environmental scientists and others. "The leaking underground tanks and the contaminated groundwater moving toward the river mean a radioactive future for the river unless the mess can be cleaned up in time to avoid a serious radiological disaster," says Glen Spain, a regional director for the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA). "The legacy of vast amounts of nuclear waste … is still a ticking time bomb."