Take Action: Hanford

To Washington Department of Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller, 

I support a clean up of the Hanford Nuclear Site that results in unrestricted use of the Columbia River Corridor. The Hanford Reach has always supported life in the region, today it is a popular fishing site, it provides drinking and irrigation water for downstream communities, and is prime habitat for salmon. In the future the River Corridor along the Reach will continue to be a vital part of the ecosystem.

The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is a strong advocate for a protective clean up of Hanford. Continuously, Ecology has set the expectation that the River Corridor at Hanford be cleaned up to an unrestricted use standard, a goal that I support. 

In August 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated new standards for hexavalent chromium, a pollutant of concern at Hanford, recognizing hexavalent chromium as a mutagenic carcinogen, specifically carcinogenic to humans by the oral route of exposure. 

EPA’s change in cancer risk and exposure pathways for hexavalent chromium creates large areas of the Hanford site where risks need to be re-analyzed and will likely be above standards for hexavalent chromium. 

I urge Ecology to ensure USDOE does a real assessment of the risks at Hanford and regulate cleanup activities based on the best scientific information available.  I rely on Ecology to provide information about the state of pollution at Hanford, and the agency must be transparent about future risks.  I am concerned that if Ecology doesn’t begin to push for new cleanup standards now, it is unlikely that the River Corridor will have unrestricted use at the end of the cleanup timeline.

Sincerely,