Gov. Gregoire�s statement on Hanford cleanup breakthrough

For Immediate Release: August 11, 2009

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today released the following statement on the landmark Hanford cleanup agreement:

�Today is a historic day for Washington state, the Pacific Northwest and the Columbia River, a lifeline for our region. United States Energy Department Secretary Steven Chu and I, along with United States Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and state Attorney General Rob McKenna, announced an agreement that re-commits the federal government to cleaning up America�s toxic legacy at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

�Our agreement settles our lawsuit against the federal government, and obligates it to a new, enforceable and achievable schedule for tank waste cleanup at Hanford.

�And there is more. In tandem with the settlement agreement, Washington Ecology Director Jay Manning joined the United States Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency in signing another agreement that establishes new enforceable deadlines to accelerate the cleanup of contaminated underground water plumes at Hanford. This means we�re committed to intercepting these plumes before they reach the river, which serves 42 cities and towns and one million people downstream in two states.

�Accelerated cleanup of soil and water is already under way at Hanford because of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding of nearly $2 billion. More than 1,300 jobs have been created or saved at the site, thanks to these funds.

�We thank President Obama, Senator Murray, Senator Cantwell, Representative Doc Hastings and our entire congressional delegation for providing this urgently needed funding. They have sent a clear and unmistakable message that America is serious about cleaning up the toxic legacy at Hanford.�


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