Science & Technology

Federal energy bill brings mixed news for Hanford, PNNL workers

ty@tcjournal.biz — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:00:00 -0400

Thousands of Tri-Cities workers at the Hanford nuclear site and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are watching a federal budget process that could determine whether a second consecutive year of deep job cuts can be avoided.

AI could help PNNL pack more nuclear waste into glass

rachel@tcjournal.biz — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:00:00 -0400

With the help of artificial intelligence, research from scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland could help optimize the vitrification of nuclear waste at Hanford and other nuclear sites.

Pasco schools to begin $13.6 million in classroom upgrades

ty@tcjournal.biz — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:00:00 -0400

Pasco School District has kicked off projects aimed at supporting career and technical education, or CTE, in its high schools using proceeds from the bond approved by voters three years ago.

PNNL, partners release guide for data center development

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 09:00:00 -0400

As data centers increasingly dominate conversations around the country, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and two partners have published a one-stop shop to help guide development.

Data centers are driving demand for gas from Northwest utilities, reports find

abaumhardt@americanpublicmedia.org — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Umatilla Electric Cooperative in Hermiston is one of six utilities across Washington and Oregon that have absorbed the bulk of energy demands of data centers in the region. A growing number of utilities are using booming data center demand to justify skirting climate rules in both states that mostly ban the build-out of new gas infrastructure, citing the need for regional energy reliability.

Mixed bag for Tri-Cities in U.S. House bill for DOE funding next year

Wed, 20 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Federal lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Washington, passed a proposal to fund many U.S. Department of Energy projects out of committee on Wednesday, and the bill has bad news and good news for the thousands of Tri-City workers at the Hanford site and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

PNNL faces deeper workforce cuts under proposed federal budget

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:00 -0400

The Tri-Cities’ largest employer eliminated an estimated 400 jobs last year amid federal budget cuts and shifting priorities. This year, it could be forced to cut more than twice that number.

This site offers one stop for Hanford job seekers

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:00 -0400

A new jobs website aggregates job postings from every prime Hanford site contractor and other energy-adjacent employers such as Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Energy Northwest and Framatome.

Kennewick bans cryptocurrency kiosks

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:00 -0400

Kennewick has banned kiosks that allow individuals to buy and trade various cryptocurrencies.

National construction spending, hiring up slightly thanks to data centers

Tue, 12 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

A construction trades group is sounding the alarm on more communities restricting data center projects when such projects have boosted construction spending and hiring, shoring up declines in other parts of the building sector.

Report: Nearly half of Americans oppose data centers in their communities

Mon, 04 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of daily life but the infrastructure that supports it is something many Americans want no part of.

WSU researchers find cheaper means to unlock the power of sewage

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0400

A team of Washington State University researchers, including some based at the WSU Tri-Cities campus, have found a new method to treat sewage that reduces the costs of wastewater treatment while also creating renewable natural gas.

State officials seek comment on potential energy impacts of data centers

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Have thoughts on how data centers could impact electric resources and consumers in Washington state? State officials want to hear from you.

Scaled solar system replica opening on Earth Day

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0400

The scale-model solar system that has been under development for years is celebrating a grand opening with a ribbon cutting and park cleanup on Earth Day.

Amazon plans another data center southwest of Tri-Cities

ty@tcjournal.biz — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Planning officials in Oregon’s Morrow County recently approved a proposal from Amazon to build a data center campus with buildings encompassing 816,000 square feet just east of the Boardman Airport.

Microsoft selects Kennewick schools for AI workforce initiative

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Kennewick School District is one of 10 Washington school districts selected for a Microsoft program to expand artificial intelligence skills among the state’s future workforce.

Kennewick gives sewage a second life

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:30:00 -0400

Kennewick is turning wastewater and sewage sludge into nutrient-rich Class A fertilizer using innovative greenhouse-based technology, creating a sustainable, revenue-generating solution for the city.

New Tri-Cities IT firm blends AI, cybersecurity for nuclear renaissance

rachel@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:30:00 -0400

OSC Technical Solutions is using AI and cybersecurity expertise to support the Hanford cleanup and prepare for the next generation of nuclear projects.

Federal funding hits record for Hanford, but billions more needed

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:30:00 -0400

Hanford remains the nation’s most expensive and technically complex cleanup project, and delays, legal obligations and debates over how to treat tank waste – including whether to vitrify or grout certain wastes – mean the site could still take decades and tens of billions more to fully clean up.

Atomic Town 2.0? New nuclear comes to the Hanford site

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:30:00 -0400

Hanford is being repositioned for a new wave of nuclear development – but that push is running into longstanding concerns about cleanup, oversight and trust.

Vit plant continues hot commissioning

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:30:00 -0400

Treated waste from the Hanford site’s leaking underground tanks continues to move incrementally through what local officials consider the world’s most cutting-edge treatment facility as workers assess its systems and infrastructure.

More PNNL cuts possible under Trump’s proposed 2027 budget

ty@tcjournal.biz — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Research programs at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory may be facing more belt tightening if President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year is implemented.

AI gets a D: WSU study shows inaccuracies, inconsistency in ChatGPT answers

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 21:00:00 -0400

The findings, published in the Rutgers Business Review, reinforce the need to apply skepticism and caution when using AI for critical tasks, especially those that involve nuance or complicated reasoning.

WSU Tri-Cities researchers secure funding from university president initiative

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Projects aimed at nuclear energy and education at Washington State University Tri-Cities are among the 10 projects to receive inaugural awards from a research initiative from WSU President Betsy Cantwell.

Benton, Walla Walla ports earn economic development awards

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 21:00:00 -0400

A state-level economic development association singled out the ports of Benton and Walla Walla for accolades in its annual awards for securing the most economically significant development projects in the past year.

Project Omega’s nuclear tech gets scientific boost from PNNL collaboration

rachel@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:30:00 -0400

A private East Coast enterprise is teaming up with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to recycle spent nuclear fuel – and the results could power endeavors like space exploration while making spent nuclear fuel less dangerous.

Amazon moves to close $36M land deal for Wallula Gap data center

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:30:00 -0400

Amazon, the company once shrouded in secrecy that wants to build a $5 billion data center at Wallula Gap, is looking to buy even more land for the project.

Business owner pushes back on automatic AI rollouts

rachel@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:30:00 -0400

How many times a day do artificial intelligence summaries of emails or Google searches pop up, unasked for and without the option to turn them off?
How often do users engage with images and videos generated by AI with no tags to identify the content as fake?
For one local business owner, the answer is: too much.

Data center tax break close to getting zapped by WA Legislature

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:00:00 -0400

As it stands, data center operators in most Washington counties do not pay the 6.5% sales tax on server equipment. That equipment is typically replaced every three to five years, and current law exempts sales tax on purchasing new or replacing old server equipment. It also doesn’t apply sales tax to labor hired to install the equipment.

It’s lights out for WA Legislature’s effort to regulate data centers

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 21:00:00 -0500

Big technology companies scored a win in Olympia on March 2, as a sweeping bill to regulate data centers lapsed in the Washington state Legislature.