[CPEO-MEF] Washington State Sues U.S. Department of Energy to Halt Hanford Shi

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 4, 2003
Contact:   Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136


Washington State Sues U.S. Department of Energy to Halt Hanford
Shipments

OLYMPIA - Gov. Gary Locke, Attorney General Christine Gregoire and
Washington State Department of Ecology Director Tom Fitzsimmons today
announced that the state has taken legal action to stop the U.S.
Department of Energy from shipping additional quantities of radioactive
waste to the Hanford site near Richland. The suit results from the
Department of Energy's failure to develop a plan for the eventual
removal of the waste from the state.

The attorney general filed the suit today on behalf of the state
Department of Ecology in U.S. District Court in Spokane after the
Department of Energy failed to make a commitment to the state by a March
1 deadline. In December 2002, the Department of Energy had agreed in
principle to provide enforceable assurances that "transuranic" (TRU)
waste currently at Hanford and planned to be shipped to the site would
ultimately be disposed of at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New
Mexico.

"The Department of Energy's blatant disregard of our previous agreement
is indefensible," said Locke. "On behalf of the people of Washington, we
will do whatever it takes to ensure that a timeline is developed for
Hanford, a cleanup plan is put in place, and the Department of Energy
follows through on it."

The suit requests a federal court to enjoin the Department of Energy
from shipping additional quantities of TRU waste to Hanford. It also
asked the court to declare that the Department of Energy 's shipments of
such waste are a violation of the National Environmental Policy Act and
other environmental laws and regulations.

The full release is available at:
http://www.governor.wa.gov/press/press-view.asp?pressRelease=1277&newsType=1

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