Pass The Glass And Get It Done

Eleven years ago, the federal government signed a contract to clean up radioactive waste that it left in leaky Central Washington tanks during a half century of nuclear weapons production.

Congress has a legal and moral obligation to keep that promise.

This year, cleanup at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation stands on a long-awaited threshold. After years of study, it’s time to build a factory that will make cleanup happen.

For this project to get under way, Congress must set aside money to pay for it. The budget Congress is writing this spring must contain a $450 million set-aside. In future years, as construction begins and waste disposal commences, the annual cost will rise.

The factory, known as a vitrification plant, will change liquid radioactive waste into solid glass logs, destined for permanent storage in an underground repository in Nevada. Glass does not corrode, which is why it was chosen to prevent this waste from escaping into the environment.

In contrast, the current storage method is not at all safe. Many of Hanford’s storage tanks have leaked, contaminating ground water near the Columbia River. Some of the tanks produce explosive gases - the makings for an environmental catastrophe.

It is unconscionable to leave the waste in the tanks. Yet, there it sits - a half century of humankind’s most lethal garbage, including crude leftovers from the production of warheads detonated over Japan, New Mexico and lonely South Pacific atolls. Simmering under the Central Washington desert, it places the Pacific Northwest in jeopardy.

During the past decade a rigorous process, featuring scrutiny by the public, scientists and environmental regulators, led to the current plan. Instead of paying whether cleanup works or not, Congress will set money aside and pay the contractor a fixed price based on satisfactory completion of tasks. The fixed-price approach gives the contractor, BNFL Inc., a powerful incentive to proceed with extreme care and efficiency, doing the work right. Earlier Hanford contracts allowed cost overruns. But BNFL would have to eat the cost of its foul-ups.

Yes, there are risks. The costs will be high and the work will take many years. Yes, concerns have been raised about troubles at BNFL’s plants abroad. In nuclear waste, controversy is a constant. Risk, cost, delay and contractor difficulties go with the territory.

But U.S. regulators learned from the arms race. It was conducted in secrecy, with insufficient regard for the environment. In contrast, Hanford cleanup is expected to occur under bright regulatory spotlights so problems can be found and corrected.

Inaction is now the greatest risk to our region. Congress must set funds aside so this historic, long-overdue cleanup can begin.