[Homestead] geography/science - and writing history
Toni Hawryluk
tonihawr at msn.com
Tue Nov 30 22:58:58 EST 2004
The Columibia River 'runs' past Hanford - although some leaks
into ground water were pooh-poohed (*not* a pun) the fears of
fouling the Pacific Ocean (the Columbia empties into the Pacific)
and West Coast salmon/other fisheries all the way up to Alaska
helped to *start* the clean-up - so "the government" - guess who -
is attempting even more poisoning/killing.
http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusgen/ap11-30-185727.asp?t=apnew&vts=113020041920<http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusgen/ap11-30-185727.asp?t=apnew&vts=113020041920>
Justice Department to fight Hanford initiative in court
By SHANNON DININNY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
YAKIMA, Wash., Nov. 30 - The government plans to ask a judge to overturn a Washington state initiative that bars the Energy Department from sending radioactive waste from other states to the Hanford nuclear site until waste already there is cleaned up.
The measure is scheduled to take effect Dec. 2.
The Justice Department planned to seek a temporary restraining order Wednesday to keep the initiative from becoming law, The Associated Press learned from a government official familiar with the case who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The government also planned to challenge the constitutionality of the initiative on the grounds it violates federal laws governing nuclear waste and interstate commerce, the official said.
The 586-square-mile <>Hanford reservation was created in World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb. It remains the most contaminated site in the nation, with cleanup costs expected to total $50 billion to $60 billion.
At issue are the federal government's plans for disposing of waste from World War II and Cold War-era nuclear weapons production nationwide. The Energy Department chose Hanford to dispose of some mildly radioactive waste and mixed low-level waste, which is laced with chemicals.
The site also would serve as a packaging center for some highly radioactive waste - plutonium-contaminated rags, tools and other discarded items - before it is shipped elsewhere for long-term disposal.
In 2003, Washington state sued to block waste shipments from entering the state, fearing Hanford would become a radioactive waste dump. The Energy Department voluntarily suspended the shipments after the lawsuit was filed, but the case remains in federal court.
© 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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