Nuclear

Small Radiation Leak Contained At Hanford

Anna King — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:27:12 +0000

RICHLAND, Wash. – Hanford Nuclear Reservation managers say they have contained a few drips of radioactive condensation found near a waste container. Federal Department of Energy officials say the contamination did not get off site, and is not a danger to workers at the southeast Washington facility.

Top Hanford Scientist Calls Treatment Plant Pipes Not Strong Enough

Anna King — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:40:47 +0000

RICHLAND, Wash. – Over the last two years we’ve brought you numerous stories about high-level whistleblowers at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation's nuclear waste treatment plant. It’s one of the largest environmental cleanup projects on Earth. Now, yet another top expert there is risking his career to speak openly. He tells our correspondent Anna King the plant’s vessels and pipes -- as they’re designed now -- will leak radioactive waste within their planned lifespan.

Hanford Waste Tanks May Have More Plutonium Than Earlier Estimated

Anna King — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:32:52 +0000

RICHLAND, Wash. – The Hanford Nuclear Reservation’s tank farms in southeast Washington may have much more plutonium than earlier estimated. That’s according to a report by a Hanford contractor that’s just been leaked to public radio. As Anna King reports, At least one high-level Hanford official worries the findings could mean a massive waste treatment plant’s design might need to be altered.

Washington's Only Nuclear Power Plant Criticized For Six Unplanned Shut-downs

Tue, 25 May 2010 18:24:00 +0000

RICHLAND, Wash. – The Columbia Generating Station in Richland, Washington, has been coming increased federal scrutiny lately. Washington's only commercial nuclear power plant has had six unplanned shutdowns in the last two years. The National Regulatory Commission held a hearing about the plant's performance Tuesday.

Hanford Officials Agree On New Clean Up Deadlines

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:43:00 +0000

RICHLAND, Wash. - The Hanford Nuclear Reservation is famously home to 53 million gallons of radioactive sludge. But over it's long history, the site has also collected scads of work materials, lab supplies and clothing that are also contaminated. Now, federal and state officials have agreed on a new set of deadlines for cleaning up that tricky waste.

Many Tri-City Residents Welcome Spent Navy Reactors To Hanford

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:35:00 +0000

RICHLAND, Wash. – The Hanford Nuclear Reservation recently accepted another spent nuclear reactor from the U.S. Navy. The reactors travel by barge from the naval shipyard in Bremerton, along the Washington Coast and up the Columbia River to Richland.

New Nuclear Power Plant Clears Hurdle

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:50:00 +0000

A new nuclear power plant proposed near the Idaho-Oregon border cleared its first hurdle Monday. But, groundbreaking is still years away because many more local and federal approvals are needed.

Eugene Residents Weigh in on Hanford Clean Up

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:56:00 +0000

The US Department of Energy is planning how and to what extent to clean up Hanford's leaking storage tanks, treat radioactive waste and deal with a contaminated reactor. The current preferred alternatives don't call for a full clean up of the site.

Twenty community members testified. Many, like Marilyn Cohen, also spoke out against having any further waste shipped to Hanford for storage and processing.

Senator Patty Murray Questions Energy Secretary Steven Chu

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:26:00 +0000

Democratic Senator Patty Murray had tough words Thursday for federal Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. She's angry over the decision by the Obama Administration to take Nevada's Yucca Mountain off the table as a possible nuclear waste storage site. Murray says that decision could push back cleanup at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in southeast Washington. Or she says it could mean Hanford becomes a permanent storage site for dangerous nuclear waste.

European Experience Provides Example and Cautions

Tom Banse — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:18:00 +0000

HAMBURG, Germany – It's no accident that roughly half of the world's installed solar panels aim at the sky in this relatively cloudy, northern country. Investors in German solar power arrays, wind farms and methane digesters can count on significantly higher rates-of-return than alternative investments such as bonds or savings accounts.