Trial date pushed back for Hanford chemical vapors case

TRI-CITIES – A nonjury trial for a lawsuit filed by the state of Washington and other parties over increased protections for workers on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation has been postponed.

The Tri-City Herald reported a federal judge has reset the case for Oct. 30, 2017, in Richland.

The state had initially sought to have the case moved from September 2017 to February 2018. But court documents show the state reached an agreement with the defendants in the case, the Department of Energy and its contractor, to have the trial only delayed by six weeks.

The plaintiffs wanted additional time to look over records and consider the court’s denial of a motion for a preliminary injunction that would’ve required the energy department to provide certain worker protections while the case is decided.