Yesterday, I talked about the declaration of a state of emergency at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation by the U.S. Department of Energy because the ground above a railroad tunnel had subsided. The tunnel contained radioactive railroad cars that had been used to carry spent nuclear fuel from Hanford reactors to the Plutonium Uranium Extraction Facility (PUREX). The radiation inside the tunnels is so intense that it is estimated that spending one hour inside one of the tunnels without protective gear would result in a lethal dose of radiation in less than one hour. It has now been pointed out by Hearts of America Northwest (HOANW) that problems with the railroad tunnels were not unexpected, they were just neglected.
According to their website, “Heart of America Northwest is a regional non-profit public interest organization. They are the leading grassroots organization working on the clean-up of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, transportation of nuclear waste to the Northwest, and other hazardous waste issues.” Their mission “is to advance our region's quality of life through highly credible research, education, and participation of citizens in issues affecting the health, environment, and economy of the Northwest.” Washington State Representative Gerry Pollet founded HOANW in 1987 and serves as its Executive Director.
Pollet and HOANW have been pointing out for the past twenty years the concrete and wood timbers used to build the tunnels were susceptible to degradation by the intense radiation from the railcars, equipment and other materials stored in the tunnels. As the concrete and timbers continued to weaken over time, there was an increasing danger that an earthquake at Hanford could cause collapse of the railroad tunnels which could release a great deal of dangerous radioactive materials into the atmosphere. In the event of a major radiation release from collapsing tunnels, it might be necessary to evacuate people for hundreds of miles around the Hanford Reservation.
The DoE had been working against a deadline of 2024 to remove the railroad cars and other irradiated materials and equipment from the tunnels. Recently, the DoE successfully petitioned a court to allow an extension of their tunnel cleanup deadline to 2042. The State of Washington agreed to the change of deadlines. Part of the argument for the extension was that there would be no danger of a tunnel collapse for thirty years. The subsidence of the soil above the tunnel yesterday would suggest that the projection of stability by the DoE was not accurate.
Pollet believes that the DoE is not willing to spend the money necessary to clean up the railroad tunnels in a timely fashion. The Hanford Nuclear Reservation is in an earthquake prone area. It is not a question of if there will be a significant quake there in the future but only a question of when. Will the DoE expend the resources needed to clean up the railroad tunnels before they collapse? The tunnel cleanup is a race against time and the clock is ticking.
Plutonium Uranium Extraction Facility at Hanford:
