Dozens of members of the public and several members of the Hanford Site’s citizen advisory board were among the attendees at the Hanford Dialogue, a discussion about site cleanup at a recent meeting.
Office of Environmental Management
January 9, 2024
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The EM Office of River Protection and Richland Operations Office at the Hanford Site, and agencies regulating site cleanup, recently hosted a Hanford Dialogue meeting with dozens of members of the local community to discuss nuclear waste cleanup at the site.
RICHLAND, Wash. — Dozens of members of the public and several members of the Hanford Site’s citizen advisory board were among the attendees at the Hanford Dialogue, a discussion about site cleanup at a recent meeting.
The EM Office of River Protection and Richland Operations Office at the Hanford Site, in partnership with regulatory agencies U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Washington State Department of Ecology, hosted the dialogue to provide updates on key cleanup projects. The dialogue also provided an opportunity for the public to discuss nuclear waste cleanup issues and activities with agency decision-makers.
“These conversations share perspectives that are important for us to hear,” said Brian Vance, manager of the Office of River Protection and Richland Operations Office. “We have a team of dedicated professionals doing their very best to progress a mission of national prominence.”
Agency project directors and senior leadership served as subject matter experts in breakout sessions on Hanford’s Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Program — which will immobilize millions of gallons of radioactive and chemical waste in glass — as well as other risk-reduction cleanup projects and the future of the Hanford cleanup mission.
At the end of the event, agency leaders reflected on breakout discussions and took questions.
“We're focusing on the transition we're making from a demolition-and-construction site to an operations site,” said Vance during closing remarks. “Operating safely in an around the clock operating environment will be critical to our success as we make steady progress towards the start of tank waste treatment, the next chapter in our important cleanup mission at Hanford.”
-Contributor: Robin Wojtanik
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