Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

“Today, the court set a date for argument on our motion asking for enhanced safety and vapor monitoring measures at Hanford, and ordered preliminary measures to keep workers safe as we work toward a longer-term solution.
 
“Although the U.S. Department of Energy, continuing its pattern of delay, asked the court to push the hearing off until nearly Thanksgiving, we will be arguing for our more robust safety plan on October 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Until then, the court has ordered some valuable interim measures, including the use of supplied air at all single- and double-shell tank farms and the implementation of a pilot monitoring program to help warn workers when toxic vapors are in their work space. These are basic but important safety measures that should have been in place long ago but weren’t due to delays of Energy and its contractor, Washington River Protection Solutions. We’re pleased that our motion for preliminary injunction has already brought benefit to Hanford workers by ensuring that these measures remain in place until the court rules on our motion.
 
“I will keep fighting for real, lasting change in the federal government’s culture of indifference to  Hanford worker safety.”

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Contact:

Peter Lavallee, Communications Director, (360) 586-0725; PeterL@atg.wa.gov

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