An act of God. Or, among lawyers, a force majeure.Many contracts have force majeure clauses to govern what happens when faced with circumstances beyond anyone’s control. The global Covid-19 pandemic certainly falls into this category.How much did Covid-19 affect Hanford’s cleanup mission?Not much in the big picture.Some tank waste pumping...
The Hanford site team has consistently supported our nation during unprecedented times and this year has been no different.The innovation and determination of our workers, from the most experienced leaders to those just starting their careers, have ensured success throughout our site history during both the national security mission of...
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...
