Five leases in the region have been terminated by the Department of Government Efficiency, including in Richland. The move leaves more questions than answers.
A company subcontracting for other primary contractors on the Hanford site will pay nearly $500,000 in restitution for fraudulently receiving Covid-19 relief funding, and its owner will pay $1.1 million to settle an affirmative civil fraud lawsuit.
Most of the claims this year—703—were filed after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, with an average of 25 being filed per day since Feb. 13, according to a release.
In the seven areas assessed for the fee to be awarded, the federal agency said the contractor’s performance was “excellent” in three areas but that there was still room for improvement.
Federal lawmakers from Washington state and Oregon have criticized the layoffs, saying they are going to cripple cleanup efforts at the nation’s largest nuclear contaminated site and a power grid that supplies power to multiple states and hundreds of thousands of consumers.
Located in Hanford’s Central Plateau, the landfill is about 1,500 feet wide, 765 feet long and 45 feet deep. It includes two double-lined disposal areas called cells that have a collection system for any rain or snow that comes in contact with the waste.
Called the One Hanford Leadership Academy, the program will provide six sessions throughout 2025 hosted by Cougar Tracks, WSU Tri-Cities' continuing education program. It will prepare individuals in mid-level management roles for challenges faced by C-suite executives at the Hanford site.
More than 830,000 gallons of waste are now staged and ready to be sent to Hanford’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant for treatment later this year.
