What does having a new president in office mean for Hanford?Specifically, what does it mean to have President Joe Biden, a former vice president and longtime U.S. senator, in the Oval Office? What does it mean to have Jennifer Granholm, the former governor of Michigan, at the helm at the...
As the new manager for the state of Washington’s Nuclear Waste Program, I appreciate the opportunity to reach out and introduce myself to the Tri-City community.I’ve been on the job at Nuclear Waste for the past several months, but I’m not new to this area or its economy and concerns.I’m...
Every community has a local language, terms that are commonplace to locals but baffling to visitors.For the Tri-Cities, “vitrification” – the process of superheating nuclear waste with glass-forming materials for safe long-term storage – is one.It has been bandied about since the 1980s as plutonium production ceased at Hanford and...
Progress is heating up at Hanford’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant.Also known as the vit plant, the project is taking a permanent step forward at the end of this year – heating up our first 300-ton low-activity waste melter.The melters are the heart of the vitrification process, which will turn...
Jan. 25 marked our official start of work as the new contractor for nuclear waste cleanup on the Hanford site’s Central Plateau and along the Columbia River.On behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hanford cleanup mission, the Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) will continue the risk-reduction activities managed...
It’s the suddenness that bothers Phil Gallagher, senior vice president of Babcock Services Inc., a longtime Hanford subcontractor.No one had a chance to prepare for a major – albeit likely short term – change in how Hanford’s two biggest prime contractors handled many of their subcontractors.In January, the U.S. Department...
An Idaho congressman is a well- known supporter of Hanford funding, but his ambitious plan to rescue salmon by breaching the four Lower Snake River dams is creating an awkward moment for his friends in the Tri-Cities. U.S. RepMike SimpsonIn February, U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, released a $33.5 billion...
John Abercrombie had little use for history during the 28 years he worked as a chemist, analytical lab manager and employment officer at the Hanford site.History was a tangle of people he didn’t know, places he hadn’t been. He had a series of jobs to do, a family to raise.“I...
Last year was extremely challenging for everyone.HPMC Occupational Medical Services (OMS) continued health care support to Hanford workers as the site transitioned to reduced operations and teleworking early in the year and progressed through the first two phases of remobilization of workers to the site as the year continued.HPMC OMS’...
Each year, I appreciate the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business’ Hanford edition, which is the perfect opportunity to update our community on Washington River Protection Solutions’ accomplishments as the U.S. Department of Energy’s tank operations contractor at the Hanford site. Washington River Protection Solutions workers remove old equipment from single-shell...
