Topics
Hanford
Summary
In 1943, the federal government chose Hanford, in Washington state, to make plutonium for the Manhattan Project, a secret wartime effort to build an atomic bomb. That military mission ended in 1988, launching a cleanup effort that continues to this day. In 1994, S-R reporters Karen Dorn Steele and Jim Lynch wrote a five-day series called Wasteland detailing the money spent on Hanford’s cleanup.
In an agreement reached in the early days of the Manhattan Project, the U.S. government agreed to indemnify the nuclear contractors making plutonium at Hanford, including corporate giants General Electric and E.I. DuPont de Nemours.
That means U.S. taxpayers have also been paying the legal bills for the Hanford contractors’ defense in lawsuits by “downwinders” who say they were sickened by pollution from the facility – over $60 million so far – as well as any settlements to individual plaintiffs and favorable verdicts in the Hanford case.
Key places
-
B Reactor
The B Reactor was the world’s first full-scale nuclear reactor and produced the plutonium used in the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945. This World War II-era file photograph taken by the federal government shows the B reactor during its early plutonium production days. It was shut down in 1968 and in 2008 it was designated a National Historic Landmark.
More information
Latest updates in this topic
Hanford officials working on fix for hole in tunnel storing radioactive equipment
Hanford officials say they’re working on a fix for a gaping hole that appeared Tuesday in the roof of a storage tunnel containing rail cars full of radioactive equipment at …
Nuke waste debate: Turn it into glass or encase in cement?
A new report says Congress should consider authorizing the Department of Energy to use grout to stabilize some of Hanford’s radioactive waste, rather than a more expensive plan to turn …
GAO report says government not doing enough against fraud, including at Hanford
A new report says the U.S. Department of Energy isn’t doing enough to prevent fraud among its contractors, including at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
Budget deal provides solid budget for Hanford
That bipartisan deal to fund the federal government through September would provide a solid budget for the Hanford Nuclear Reservation if approved this week.
Three accused of trespassing to collect elk antlers at Hanford
Three men have been accused of trespassing to collect deer and elk antlers on the Hanford nuclear reservation.
U.S.: Nuclear waste mislabeled at Washington state site
A shipment of nuclear waste from a commercial power plant located on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state was improperly labeled when it was trucked to a commercial disposal …
Annual Hanford tours to start April 17
The annual tours of the Hanford portion of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park will start on April 17.
Hanford workers demolish famous nuclear accident site
Workers at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state have finished demolishing the site of a famous nuclear accident during the Cold War that exposed a man to the highest …
Senators urge new energy secretary to protect Hanford workers
Washington’s two U.S. senators brought the chemical vapors issue at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation to the attention of new Energy Secretary Rick Perry, asking him to improve safety and make …
Hanford contractors plan to cut up to 300 jobs
Hanford contractors are looking at layoffs as they prepare to cut up to 300 jobs at the nuclear reservation by this fall. The central Hanford contractor, CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation …
Demolition resumes on Hanford plutonium plant
Demolition of a major plutonium plant at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state has resumed after radioactive contamination was detected in a rubble pile.
WSU Tri-Cities explores legacy of Hanford, Manhattan Project
Washington State University Tri-Cities will consider the legacy of the Manhattan Project in a conference this week that includes local and international speakers, tours and a well-known author introducing his …
Lights go out at Hanford plutonium plant
For the first time in 60 years, Hanford’s Plutonium Finishing Plant is off the electrical grid. Power has been disconnected for the safety of workers doing the final cleanout of …
Hanford officials, unions agree on limited change to vapor protection
The Hanford tank farm contractor and a union group have agreed to lift a blanket requirement that workers wear supplied air respirators, but only under some initial limited conditions.
Report: Hanford vit plant failed to cancel unneeded purchases
Hanford officials failed to cancel some purchase orders after technical issues halted construction on part of the Hanford vitrification plant, according to the Department of Energy Office of Inspector General.
Hanford project to keep uranium out of Columbia River
Work to keep uranium from leaching into the Columbia River at Hanford just north of Richland is being expanded after a test showed good results. Wells are being drilled now …
Washington must fight Trump on its key issues, Murray says
Sen. Patty Murray says the state must be ready to fight Trump on key state issues.
Hanford contractor agrees to pay $5.3 million to settle timecard fraud
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that a contractor has agreed to pay $5.3 million to settle allegations that it knowingly bilked the government through a time-card scheme that …
New problem arises at Hanford
The following abridged versions of editorials do not necessarily reflect the view of The Spokesman-Review’s editorial board. Walla-Walla Union Bulletin
A glimmer of hope at Hanford
There is no telling how seriously the Trump administration will take the threat at Hanford, but there is little question that the departure of retiring Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, is …
Looking Back: Opinions from past add perspective
Topics included a push to buy locally, the possibility of a national lottery, the definition of basic education and radioactive contamination from Hanford.
Nuclear waste tank leak at Hanford not a risk, state says
Nuclear waste material was leaking into the containment area of a Hanford tank, but doesn’t pose a risk to the public, a state agency said.
Idaho listed as possible site for nuclear waste storage
The U.S. Department of Energy lists the Idaho National Laboratory as a possible site for storing about 1,300 dump truck loads of low level radioactive waste.
WSU contributed to groundbreaking detection of gravitational waves
Professors and graduate students from Washington State University were among more than 1,000 researchers involved in the worldwide effort to detect gravitational waves and confirm Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. …
Washington’s newest national park at Hanford could draw 100,000 visitors by 2018
The Manhattan Project National Historical Park is taking shape at Hanford and two other locations where the country during World War II crossed the threshhold into the Atomic Age.
Hanford cleanup may continue a century after first bomb
Pending agreement could push start-up of vitrification plan out to 2039.
Hanford reactor becomes a National Historical Park
The Hanford Nuclear Reservation is now a National Historic Site.
Nuclear bomb history worthy of skepticism
Earlier this summer, I was in the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan. That day, and for the next two days, my attention continued to be drawn to the hills …
Editorial: Atomic bomb development worth of national park
Seventy years ago next month, the United States unleashed the most terrible weapon yet used. The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August 1945 persuaded Japan to …
New Hanford site tour offered
The story of the Hanford site prior to nuclear development is the focus of a new public tour offered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Richland office.
Efforts to create Manhattan Project park advance
Plans to create a Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes the B Reactor at Hanford, have advanced in Congress.
State AG says he’ll sue Hanford to protect workers from harmful vapors
Washington plans to sue the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractor to protect workers from hazardous vapors at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, the nation’s most polluted nuclear site, state …