Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board to Hold Public Meeting November 4-5 in Astoria
The Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board will hold a two-day public meeting on November 4-5, 2019 at the Cannery Pier Hotel in Astoria, OR. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. on Monday and reconvene at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, with an opportunity for public comment each day.
The meeting agenda includes:
Various presentations focusing on Hanford’s River Corridor from Oregon Department of Energy staff and a representative of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
Updates from the U.S. Department of Energy on the Office of River Protection and Richland Office activities and cleanup progress.
The Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board provides input to the USDOE and its regulators on the cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Site – one of the largest and most complex environmental challenges in the world. The Oregon Department of Energy and the board work together to keep important cleanup issues visible, hold the USDOE and its contractors accountable, ensure good public involvement and outreach, and reinforce that Oregon has a major stake in the safe and timely cleanup of Hanford.
More than 40 years of plutonium production for America's nuclear weapons program left hundreds of billions of gallons of radioactive and chemically hazardous waste at the Hanford Nuclear site, which sits on the Columbia River just 35 miles from Oregon’s border. From Hanford, the Columbia flows through prime Oregon farmlands, fisheries, communities, and popular recreational spots. Due to the potential threat of radioactive and chemical contamination affecting Oregon's resources, economy, and public health, the board's primary role is to ensure cleanup decisions are protective of the river.
The board typically hosts three public meetings per year at locations throughout Oregon, usually in communities along the Columbia River closest to Hanford. At the meetings, representatives of the USDOE, contractors, Washington Department of Ecology, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and ODOE staff update the board on a wide variety of issues associated with the Hanford Site. Public attendance and participation is encouraged.
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Learn more about Hanford and Oregon’s role.
To request an interpreter for the hearing impaired or accommodations for persons with disabilities, please contact ODOE at least 72 hours before the meeting at 1-800-221-8035 or fax 503-373-7806. TTY users should call the Oregon Relay Service at 711.
A full meeting agenda other meeting materials will be posted on our website.