06.14.13

Cantwell Announces DOE Secretary to Make First Hanford Visit on June 19

Cantwell secured commitment from Moniz to visit the site at an Energy hearing on April 9

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz will visit the Hanford site on Wednesday, June 19. Cantwell had previously secured a commitment from Moniz to visit the site at his confirmation hearing, before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

“The U.S. Secretary of Energy is absolutely right to put Hanford cleanup at the top of his ‘to do list,'” said Cantwell. “I’m pleased that Secretary Moniz is giving Hanford the attention it deserves and visiting in his first month on the job. Hanford is one of the most complex and largest contaminated nuclear cleanup projects in the world – and we need to ensure the federal government lives up to its commitment on cleanup. I thank Secretary Moniz for following through on his commitment to me to visit the Hanford site, and I look forward to working with him on this vital issue.”

Moniz was sworn in as the 13th Energy Secretary on May 21. That was after the Senate voted 97-0 to approve confirmation on May 16. Cantwell supported his nomination in committee and secured his commitment to come to Hanford at Moniz’s Senate Energy and Natural Resources confirmation hearing on April 9. 

 “You and I have had a chance to have many conversations about a variety of issues but obviously first and foremost on my list is Hanford and Hanford cleanup,” Cantwell said to Dr. Moniz during the hearing on April 9. “First of all, I hope that you’ll make it a priority to visit Hanford very soon in your tenure as Secretary of Energy.”

Dr. Moniz responded: “I certainly will. … My plan would be to get hard briefings immediately, go to the site because I think you need to be there to understand the issues, come back, work with the Chairman, work with you, [Senator] Murray and make sure we get a plan together going forward and do that expeditiously.”

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