ODOE Activates Agency Operations Center for Annual Emergency Exercise
Experts discuss potential protective actions in the Agency Operations Center.
On March 24, 2026, the Oregon Department of Energy participated in one of its annual nuclear emergency exercises. Each year, ODOE staff activate our Agency Operations Center in Salem and send staff north to Washington to simulate and practice how we would respond in the event of a radiological emergency at the Hanford Site or the Columbia Generating Station nuclear power plant near Richland, WA. Both sites sit along the Columbia River, just 35 miles north of Oregon’s border.
This year’s exercise involved a “hostile act” scenario at the Columbia Generating Station. In the scenario, CGS alerted Oregon of explosions on site that could affect the safety of the plant. Over the course of the exercise, our experts discussed risks to Oregon and potential actions residents in Morrow or Umatilla counties would need to take to stay safe.
While the amount of radiation reaching Oregon from a potential incident at the plant is expected to be below harmful levels for direct exposure to humans, our primary concern would be risk to agricultural products in the area. In the case of a real emergency, one of our primary goals would be to protect Oregonians from consuming contaminated food, water, or dairy products.
Together with our partners — including Umatilla and Morrow counties, Oregon State University, Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Department of Emergency Management, Oregon Emergency Response System, Oregon National Guard Civil Support Team, and the State of Washington — we practiced reviewing simulated radiation data, analyzing risks to Oregon and identifying potential protective actions, releasing information to the public and the media (including a mock press conference), and testing soil and milk samples. We also had a team member present in Richland, Washington, at Energy Northwest’s response center.
The exercise was evaluated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the federal agency responsible for overseeing nuclear power plant emergency preparedness for offsite response organizations across the country. Two FEMA evaluators joined the Agency Operations Center to observe our actions and decisions. They’ll provide a report later with feedback and suggestions for improvements. March’s graded exercise followed a “dress rehearsal” exercise we completed in February. And we’re not done yet! We’ll do a third exercise in May to practice an emergency at Hanford.
We practice these drills each year, and the feedback we’ll receive from FEMA will help us improve operations and response even further. We hope we never have to put our practice into action – but the drills will ensure we’re ready if we do.
Learn more about ODOE’s emergency preparedness work on our website.