Select for larger view.	Hanford Site
		•	Occupies 560 square miles in the southeastern part of the state, near Richland
		•	Became the first full-sized plutonium production facility in 1943
		•	Focus switched to developing nonmilitary applications of nuclear energy in the 1970s
		•	Had accumulated two-thirds of the nation’s stored weapons-related radioactive waste by 1989
		•	Current site activities focus on environmental cleanup and waste management

Public Participation and the FY 1999 EM Budget Development Process

The Office of Environmental Management currently is formulating its FY 1999 budget and encourages public comment. The public comment period is open through July 18, 1997. The current outyear targets for EM are $5.5 billion for FY 1999 through FY 2002, plus specified additional amounts for privatization. The Office of Management and Budget will re-examine these targets for the program for FY 1999 and beyond based on EM’s analyses of the program at $5.5 and $6.0 billion planning levels. Additionally, the recent agreement between the President and the Congressional leadership to balance the Federal budget by 2002 will directly affect the level of the EM budget for FY 1999 through FY 2002. Future budgets for EM will be required to be consistent with this agreement.

EM is proposing a strategy to accelerate site cleanup and improve productivity, with a focus on completing work at as many sites as possible by 2006. Stated goals are selected summaries of the proposals for acceleration contained in the discussion drafts of the EM site plans accompanying the EM report, Accelerating Cleanup: Focus on 2006, which is available for public comment.

All urgent risks at the Hanford Site will be eliminated, almost all of the costly mortgages will be reduced, tank wastes will be in the process of being immobilized, and high priority waste sites in the 100 and 300 Areas along the Columbia River will be remediated.

Richland Operations Office The cleanup of the Hanford site will continue for at least 50 years. The duration of the cleanup effort is driven by the complexity of the removal, treatment, and disposal of radioactive wastes stored in 177 storage tanks, and the number of waste sites and facilities requiring cleanup. Moreover, the Hanford site contains surplus nuclear reactors which must be placed in a stable, interim condition to await final disposition. Activities that will be completed by 2006 based on the $6.0 billion planning scenario are described below. Elimination of Urgent Risks: Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) material will be stabilized, all high priority tanks safety issues will be resolved, all tanks will be characterized and single-shell tanks farms will be interim stabilized, K Basin fuel and sludge will be removed and spent fuel will be placed in dry storage, and the remaining spent fuel at Hanford will be placed in interim dry storage. Reduction in Costly Mortgages: Various surplus facilities will be transitioned from costly maintenance conditions to a state that is safe and cost effective while awaiting final disposition. Completion of these transitioning activities is critical to make necessary future funds available for cleanup efforts. The PUREX, B Plant, T Plant, 324 and 327 buildings, the K-Basin, and 18 smaller facilities will be deactivated and turned over to the environmental restoration program. NE Legacy Sodium disposition will be complete, 34 vacant landlord facilities will be demolished, 8 surplus facilities will be decommissioned, and the PFP will be deactivated. Additionally, 27 contaminated buildings will be deactivated and 73 clean buildings decommissioned or converted to alternate use in the 300 Area. Reactor Disposition: Four of the nine reactors located along the Columbia River will be placed in interim safe storage, cleanup of 410 waste sites will be complete, and 2.6 million cubic yards of soil will be disposed of in the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility. Tank Wastes: The Tank Waste Remediation System will be responsible for dispositioning low and high activity radioactive wastes currently stored in tanks. Associated activities provide for the safe continued storage of waste in the existing single and double shell tanks, including tank stabilization and the mitigation of tank safety issues. Other activities include waste characterization, removal, treatment, and ultimately disposal. By 2006, 6 to 13 percent of tank waste will have been treated under privatization contracts. Solid Wastes: 55 percent of the existing transuranic waste inventory will be shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), 80 percent of the site mixed waste inventory will be treated and disposed, Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) will be removed from the T Plant Canyon, and T Plant will be placed in Hot Standby. Decisions associated with the final status of the Hanford site will be defined in a comprehensive land use plan. This plan will developed and implemented consistent with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the associated Hanford Remedial Action Environmental Impact Statement. Final decisions on cleanup levels will be established pursuant to the CERCLA Record of Decision, and RCRA permit processes. Current plans assume that DOE land used for disposal of radioactive waste will remain restricted for as long as necessary to ensure adequate protection of human health and the environment, nuclear materials and high level waste eventually will be sent off-site, and groundwater use will remain restricted for a yet to be determined period. Point of Contact: Ms. Karen Randolph (509) 376-7501

Accomplishment of EM goals depends on achievement of enhanced performance objectives, future funding levels, and Departmental programmatic decisions. EM is committed to full compliance with environmental and other legal requirements. The Department of Energy will request sufficient funds to comply with environmental requirements. EM also intends to meet its commitments to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. EM could achieve compliance at the $6.0 billion planning scenario at all sites if enhanced performances are achieved, but schedule and funding modifications may be necessary at some sites. At the $5.5 billion planning level, achieving compliance would be more difficult at several sites even with enhanced performance, and many other high-priority activities would not be possible.