Hanford support

Thanks to constant Hanford news covered by this newspaper, Downwinders in the Pacific Northwest can track the slow and inept attempt to clean up nuclear waste in our own backyard. Patricia Hoover’s article highlighting the dragging of feet in Washington, D.C., that has affected all of us regarding Hanford site cleanup was excellent.

On May 9, we learned of the collapsed tunnel exposing train cars full of highly radioactive waste, and 11 days later a Hanford worker’s clothes were contaminated while working on a possible leak at an underground storage tank. Why then would we want the DNFSB under Sean Sullivan disbanded or their budget drastically slashed? More than 3 decades of effort and billions of dollars to clean up the most contaminated place in the Western Hemisphere needs more recognition, not less.

Please do speak up and continue support of the Hanford site cleanup and the continued funding of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. Our region could use your support.

Kenneth R. Rodd

Spokane