As it confronts potential leaks in waste tanks at the Hanford site, the Department of Energy has proposed sending some of the material to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico.
The DOE announced earlier that sludge levels have been falling in six tanks at the former weapons complex. Then the Oregonian newspaper reported earlier this week that the agency recently informed Oregon officials that it is also investigating 14 other tanks for potential liquid loss.
The DOE said Wednesday its preferred solution would be to ship 3.1 million gallons of waste from up to 20 tanks to WIPP, the Tri-City Herald reported. The geologic repository is licensed to take transuranic waste from defense programs, although a final DOE decision on the shipments and permitting for the move would be required first. In the meantime, the agency has said the rate of the possible leaks is such that it would take years for the waste to reach the water table, where a groundwater treatment system is in place.
The discovery that previously stabilized tanks might be leaking could not come at a worse time for Hanford. Federal spending cuts resulting from sequestration are expected to result in thousands of furloughs and layoffs of Hanford contract workers beginning in April as the site trims $182 million from its budget. That is likely to result in 1,900 furloughs and layoffs among contractor employees at the Richland Operations Office. More than 2,800 contractor employees could be affected at the Office of River Protection, according to a DOE letter sent to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee Tuesday.