Hanford Nuclear Reservation News

Vaccine Objections of Workers at Hanford in Washington Tossed

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by several hundred Hanford nuclear reservation and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory workers in Richland, Washington, over COVID-19 vaccine requirements. The lawsuit was filed in November to halt enforcement of President Joe Biden’s …

Federal Panel Backs Workers’ Comp for Washington State Hanford Employees

A federal appeals court has unanimously ruled that Washington has a right to create laws giving employees of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation easier access to health benefits if they become ill at work. The decision by a panel of judges …

Lockheed Martin Sued for Fraud over Washington Nuclear Site

The U.S. Justice Department is accusing Lockheed Martin Corp. of using false records and making false statements to bill the Energy Department for tens of millions of dollars in unauthorized profits and fees at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington. …

Washington Workers’ Radiation Exposure Halts Nuke Plant Demolition

Seven decades after making key portions of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, workers at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation are being exposed to radiation as they tear down buildings that helped create the nation’s nuclear arsenal. Dozens of workers …

Hanford Tunnel Collapse Draws Attention to Safety, Age of Nuclear Plants

The collapse of a tunnel used to store radioactive waste at one of the most contaminated U.S. nuclear sites has raised concerns among watchdog groups and others who study the country’s nuclear facilities because many are aging and fraught with …

Washington Tunnel Collapse Renews Safety Concerns over Nuclear Site

Thousands of workers at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation were told to stay home as efforts began to plug a hole that developed in the partial collapse of a tunnel containing dangerous radioactive waste from the building of nuclear bomb materials. …

Demolition on Washington’s Hanford Plutonium Plant Resumes

Demolition of a major plutonium plant at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state has resumed after radioactive contamination was detected in a rubble pile. The work restarted this week at the Plutonium Reclamation Facility after being halted in late …

State Taking Steps to Protect Washington Nuclear Site Workers

Washington state asked a federal judge this week to issue an injunction requiring the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractor to take steps to protect workers at a major nuclear waste storage site. Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson …

Washington Nuclear Site Workers Test Thousands Of Air Samples

About 12,000 air samples taken on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington this year after more than three dozen workers reported being sickened by chemical vapors have failed to find a cause for the problem, Hanford officials said Wednesday. But …

Heavy Asbestos Fines for Hanford Contractors in Washington

Two contractors at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington will pay more than $175,000 in fines after an investigation found alleged asbestos violations. The Environmental Protection Agency says CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co. will pay $131,594 and Washington Closure Hanford …