Are major changes ahead for the Department of Energy’s decades-long cleanup of the World War II Hanford weapons plant in Washington state?
In a surprise move, on Monday (Sept. 8) the Energy Department fired the top official in charge of the massive, multi-billion-dollar environmental restoration project. Lawyer Roger Jarrell was serving as principal deputy assistant secretary of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management, pending the stalled nomination of Colorado developer and former failed Republican state Senate candidate Tim Walsh.
DOE gave no details in the firing of Jarrell, who had ties to the first Trump administration. The DOE official biography of Jarrell said, “In the first Trump administration he served as Environmental Management’s key interface with the Office of the Secretary of Energy and other senior leadership, formulating cleanup strategies, coordinating EM’s communication strategy, and providing key leadership to the cleanup program.â€
In reporting the firing, Politico’s E&E News wrote, “DOE, when firing Jarrell, cited Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s desire to go in a â€~different direction’ on the Hanford cleanup in Washington state, according to a person with knowledge of the event, granted anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the press.
“They said they believe DOE leadership wants to ax the so-called Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant Project, or WTP, a project that aims to encapsulate liquid radioactive waste in glass at the site along the Columbia River that aims to clean up radioactive waste at the site along the Columbia River that could cost up to $30 billion and has taken almost three decades to build.
“â€~I think they want kill WTP altogether, even though it’s [close to being operational], the person said.’â€
The E&E account prompted a response from Wright. In a news release, he said, “Contrary to news reports, the Department of Energy has made no changes to its longstanding commitment to the environmental cleanup of the Hanford site. DOE is continuing to examine testing and operations of the DFLAW site to ensure waste disposal options are safe, cost-effective, and environmentally sound. Across the entire Department, we are actively working to improve the safety and efficacy of the important work we do each and every day.â€
Wright’s statement appears to be purposefully ambiguous. He said he’s made no decisions on changes to Hanford cleanup but did not rule out changes to any of the work at the site, including the vitrification plant.
Following Wright’s waffle, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) on Tuesday (Sept. 10) essentially charged Wright with lying and put a hold on the Tim Walsh nomination. She said, “Today, Secretary Wright admitted to me during a phone call that the Department of Energy is planning to curb hot commissioning at the Waste Treatment Plant at Hanfordâ€"an astonishingly senseless and destructive move and a threat to the entire nuclear cleanup mission at Hanford.â€
Murray, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, noted that “hot commissioning†at the vitrification plant facility must be completed by October 15 to comply a legally-binding commitment.
She said, “The Secretary’s comments were in stark contrast to the positive news we received today that safety reviews and technical tests at one melter at the Waste Treatment Plant have been completedâ€"some of the final steps before the plant can begin turning nuclear waste into glass via completion of hot commissioning by October 15th. Not only has this facility already been built, but commissioning is ahead of schedule. Secretary Wright claimed that moving forward with hot commissioning is an issue of safety, but records do not corroborate his assertion.â€
Sen. Murray added, “Whether Secretary Wright was given bad information or is simply confused about how the vitrification facility works, I can’t say, but I am not satisfied by his explanation for why DOE has suddenly decided to stall progress on the Waste Treatment Plant.â€
The federal government has been working to clean up the giant Hanford plant for 80 years, at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars. Construction on the vitrification project began 23 years ago and has experienced a host of problems since. The vitrification plant is designed to treat all of Hanford’s liquid waste.
A recent Government Accountability Office report called for changes in the project both by DOE and Congress. The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which has guided the Trump administration in many areas, recommended a redefinition of Hanford liquid wastes from “high level†to “low levelâ€, allowing the waste “to be grouted rather than vitrified.â€
At Wright’s Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee confirmation hearing in January, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) pressed him to resist efforts to change the waste definitions at Hanford.
Wright responded, “Senator, I can’t overstate how critical I think it is to finish the job, finish the cleanup at Hanford. The majority of our country’s plutonium was produced there, not just for World War II, but the post war period and our arsenal today. Hanford gave a lot to this country, and we behind, left a mess, and that needs to be cleaned up.â€
Cantwell pushed beyond the rhetoric, noting that past attempts to redefine the problem have “ended in the trash can.†She said, “That’s where people get into trouble because someone else tries to redefine the agreement that’s been made, or redefine what is the waste, and reclassify very hazardous waste into something else†leaving the problems behind.
Cantwell voted against the Wright nomination in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. Cantwell and Murray voted against the Wright confirmation on the Senate roll call vote. He won Senate confirmation by a 59-38 vote. Seven Democrats voted to confirm him.