HANFORD SITE

Hanford is home to the world’s first full-scale nuclear reactor, the B Reactor, which produced plutonium for the world’s first nuclear explosion (the Trinity test) and for the nuclear bomb which was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.  Hanford’s plutonium production mission continued until the late 1980s, ultimately producing 65% of the nation’s stockpile.

Over the course of Hanford operations, 20 million pieces of uranium metal fuel were used in Hanford’s nine nuclear reactors, 110,000 tons of fuel was processed at five large plants, 450 billion gallons of liquids were disposed into the soil, and 53 million gallons of radioactive waste were stored in 177 large underground tanks.

Hanford cleanup began in 1989, when a landmark agreement was reached between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Washington state. Known as the Tri-Party Agreement, the accord established hundreds of milestones for bringing the Hanford site into compliance with federal and state environmental regulations. After nearly three decades of cleanup, considerable progress has been made at Hanford, reducing the risk the site poses to the health and safety of workers, the public, and the environment.

• Safe, effective and efficient cleanup of the Hanford Site

• Policies and funding needed to support Hanford cleanup, including efforts to safely reduce long-term costs (such as grouting some low-activity tank waste)

• Removal to the extent practicable, of waste from underground tanks and close tank farms

• Sustained progress in design, engineering and construction of all WTP facilities

• Relocation of Cesium and Strontium Capsules to Dry Storage

• Continued progress in cleaning up groundwater contamination

• Continued progress in remediation of contaminated soil beneath the 324 building

• Advocate for improving site infrastructure in support of long-term site operations

• Support for efforts to grow and diversify the local economy

• Advocate for fair and equitable Payment in Lieu of Taxes to schools and government entities

• Continued growth of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park at Hanford

City of Richland

City of Kennewick

City of Pasco

City of West Richland

Benton County

Franklin County

Port of Benton

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

Nez Perce Tribe

Wanapum

Yakama Nation

Hanford Communities

• Mission: The Hanford Communities organization coordinates local government involvement in DOE decision making on issues affecting our jurisdictions. The organization works to increase public awareness and involvement in Hanford cleanup issues. Board members interact with DOE, the Washington State Department of Ecology, the EPA and others regarding Hanford environmental contamination, remediation, waste management, emergency response, and work force and site transition issues.

• Contact: David Reeploeg, Executive Director.

  • Email: dreeploeg@hanfordcommunities.org

  • Phone: (509) 205-1760

Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC)

• Mission: TRIDEC’s mission is to improve the economic health of the Tri-Cities area. To achieve this mission, TRIDEC promotes economic diversification, facilitates job creation and retention, pursues new federal missions to support stability in federal operations, and leads the Tri-Cities community on issues of economic importance. TRIDEC has been actively involved in advocating for the policies and funding needed to support Hanford’s missions for over 60 years.

• Contact: David Reeploeg, Vice President for Federal Programs

• Email: dreeploeg@tridec.org;

• Phone: (509) 205-1760

Navarro-ATL (HLMI) - Navarro-ATL manages the 222-S Laboratory.  The laboratory analyzes Hanford’s tank waste to support safe storage of tank waste, processes, characterization, industrial hygiene monitoring, and the Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste Facility as plant transitions to operations.

Bechtel National, Inc. (BNI) - Bechtel is managing the design, engineering, and construction of Hanford’s Waste Treatment & Immobilization Plant, also known as the Vitrification (or Vit) Plant.

Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure, LLC (H2C) – H2C is responsible for managing Hanford’s tank waste, including retrieval and closure of the legacy waste tanks. H2C will also manage the vitrification of Hanford’s low-activity tank waste following hot commissioning of the Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) Facility.

Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) - HMIS is responsible for providing Hanford Site services, including adequate and reliable water, power, road maintenance, information technology, safeguards and security, sitewide safety standards, training and countless more integrated services and deliverables across the Hanford Site.

Inomedic Health Applications –IHA is the occupational medical services provider for thousands of federal and contractor employees at the Hanford Site.

Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) - Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) is the prime contractor for the safe, environmental cleanup of the Central Plateau and River Corridor at the Hanford Site.

Federal Government

• U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D)

• U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D)

• U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R) (WA-04)

State Government

• Governor Bob Ferguson (D)

• State Sen. Matt Boehnke (R) (District 8)

• State Rep. Stephanie Bernard (R) (District 8)

• State Rep. April Connors (R) (District 8)

• State Sen. Nikki Torres (R) (District 15)

• State Rep. Bruce Chandler (R) (District 15)

• State Rep. Bryan Sandlin (R) (District 15)

• State Sen. Perry Dozier (R) (District 16)

• State Rep. Mark Klicker (R) (District 16)

• State Rep. Skyler Rude (R) (District 16)

Local Government

• Richland Mayor Theresa Richardson

• West Richland Mayor Brent Gerry

• Kennewick Mayor Gretl Crawford

• Pasco Mayor David Milne

David Reeploeg, Executive Director, Hanford Communities

• Phone: (509) 205-1760, or (509) 735-1000

Energy Northwest SMR Deployment – Amazon, X-energy and Energy Northwest are partnering to support the development of an advanced reactor near Energy Northwest’s Columbia Generating Station near Richland, WA. This partnership includes commitments from Amazon to provide approximately $334 million in funding for the initial feasibility phase of Energy Northwest’s project, and to make a $500 million direct investment in X-energy.  The advanced reactors in development are the Xe-100 model; high temperature gas-cooled reactors developed by X-energy. Each Xe-100 module can provide 80 megawatts of full-time electricity, with up to 12 modules able to be sited together.

HALEU Metallization Pilot Production Facility - Framatome and TerraPower are cooperating to design and develop a high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) metallization pilot plant at Framatome’s nuclear fuel manufacturing facility in Richland, Washington. The plant will bolster Framatome's ability to convert uranium oxide (UO2) into HALEU metal, a crucial metal that is used to fabricate fuel for advanced reactors. In addition, the plant will supply metal feedstock and help TerraPower build a domestic HALEU supply chain.

“Project Dune” - The City of Richland, WA has signed a Purchase & Sale Agreement for 425 acres of former Hanford Site land with a company whose name has not yet been made public but is referred to as “Project Dune.” Upon completion, the $3 billion project will produce enriched uranium for advanced nuclear fuel and is projected to create approximately 1,000 jobs. 

Since 1984, Energy Northwest has operated the Pacific Northwest’s only commercial nuclear reactor, the 1,207 MW Columbia Generating Station.

Nuclear reactors at Hanford (now the Hanford Site) produced plutonium for the Manhattan Project to fuel the first atomic test and the Fat Man atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945. The story of the Manhattan Project at Hanford encompasses historic facilities and educational centers with the National Park Service, the US Department of Energy and the communities where Hanford workers and their families lived, which are all part of the Tri-Cities region today.

To learn more about Hanford’s role in the Manhattan Project and the modern day National Park, click here.