Stimulus package to create 4,400 jobs at Hanford

TRI-CITIES — The Energy Department projects that $2 billion from the federal stimulus package will create 4,400 jobs at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Sen. Maria Cantwell told local leaders Thursday at the Richland Labor Temple it will sustain a skilled work force. The Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council plans to start hiring about 1,000 workers as soon as April. The new money will help shrink the contaminated area to 75 square miles of the 586-square mile reservation. Gary Peterson of the Tri-City Development Council says about 60 square miles of Hanford land will be made available for industrial use. The Tri-City Herald reports the stimulus money also will support energy research at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.