Cantwell Demands Public Release of Full Hanford Vit Plant Reports
Senator calls on DOE to release all information on project costs, construction delays and missed cleanup deadlines
WASHINGTON, DC – Friday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) called on the Department of Energy (DOE) to release all reports on the Hanford vitrification plant. Given recent discrepancies between media and congressional accounts of cost increases and ongoing construction delays at the site, Cantwell sent a letter to Secretary of Energy Sam Bodman on Thursday night underscoring the need for DOE to clear up discrepancies by releasing un-redacted and complete reports to the public.
"The Department of Energy owes the public a full and complete account of what is happening at Hanford," said Cantwell, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "There are real and troubling discrepancies between media and congressional accounts of vit plant construction costs. The plant is already four years behind schedule and the public has a right to know what’s going on at one of the largest, most complex nuclear waste cleanup sites in the country. We need honesty and transparency, not political maneuvering, so we can get the job at Hanford done right. DOE must release un-redacted and complete reports to the public now."
Cantwell has long advocated for adequate clean up of the Hanford site, and has fought tirelessly for full funding of cleanup efforts. Last month, Cantwell questioned Energy Secretary Sam Bodman on a recent audit that stated the Department of Energy will miss a key cleanup deadline, and fought to boost significantly reduced cleanup funding. The administration’s budget for Fiscal Year 2006 cut $297 million from Hanford clean up compared to the previous year’s funding levels. Recently, the Bush Administration has proposed cutting an additional $100 million in already appropriated funds for vitrification plant construction.
[The text of Cantwell’s letter follows below]
December 1, 2005
Samuel Bodman Secretary, Department of Energy 1000 Independence Avenue SW Washington, DC 20585
Dear Mr. Secretary,
I am writing to request that the Department of Energy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers publicly release any reports provided to select Members of Congress and media outlets related to the Hanford vitrification plant. Disclosing this information to the Congress and the American public is critical for the ongoing efforts to cleanup America’s nuclear legacy at the Hanford site.
The Fiscal Year 2006 Energy and Water Conference Report cites an Army Corps Report as the source of information confirming a four-year delay in vitrification plant construction and dramatically increasing project costs. I am concerned that while the Department has chosen not to release the Army Corps report publicly, copies of the report have been leaked to media outlets.
There are discrepancies between media reports and congressional report language on the construction costs of the vitrification plant – despite the fact that both the media and congressional language cite Corps of Engineers reports as the source for their information. While I understand that the Department wants to present the most accurate and best available information, the differences in cost figures that now exist can only have a negative effect in understanding the funding needs for Hanford cleanup. Full disclosure of this report and other available information would rectify this situation.
The Conference Report notes that the Hanford vitrification plant has had a "troubled history" and rightfully asks the Department to provide periodic reports on the management and progress of the vitrification plant. Members of Congress must have the best available information in order to execute their oversight and appropriation functions. The lack of disclosure by the Department continues to negatively affect the credibility of the government, the Department of Energy specifically, and has impacted the Hanford cleanup budget in the appropriations process. Complete and full disclosure of the Army Corps of Engineers reports is critical to achieving the federal government’s legal and moral commitments to cleanup America’s nuclear legacy at Hanford.
I look forward to your prompt response.
Sincerely,
Maria Cantwell United States Senator
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