Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board to Meet March 11-12 in Hood River
CONTACT:
Erica Euen, 503-378-3637
Rachel Wray, 503-689-0294
SALEM — The Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board will convene for a two-day public meeting March 11-12 at the Best Western Plus Hood River Inn, 1108 E. Marina Drive, in Hood River. The meeting starts at 1 p.m. on Monday and reconvenes at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
The board, which gathers three times a year, provides policy advice to Oregon’s Governor, legislature, and the Department of Energy on a wide range of issues regarding cleanup of the Hanford nuclear site in southeast Washington, just north of Oregon’s border.
On Monday, the board will hear updates on the status of current cleanup projects from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Department of Energy’s Office of River Protection, and the Washington Department of Ecology. Presentations by the Oregon Department of Energy’s technical staff and additional information from the Washington Department of Ecology will be heard on Tuesday.
The public will have an opportunity to comment to the board each day and are encouraged to participate. A full meeting agenda can be found on the Oregon Department of Energy’s website.
To request an interpreter for the hearing impaired or accommodations for persons with disabilities, please contact ODOE at least 72 hours before the meeting at 1-800-221-8035 or fax 503-373-7806. TTY users should call the Oregon Relay Service at 711.
For the last 25 years, Hanford has been the site of the world’s largest environmental cleanup program, the result of wastes created during the production of plutonium for America’s nuclear weapons program. Cleanup will continue for at least the next several decades.
Part of the Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board’s mission is to protect the Columbia River and Oregon from possible contamination from the Hanford site. The board is composed of citizens, a representative of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, a representative of the Governor, state agency representatives, and state legislators. ODOE serves as staff to the board.
