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In my never-ending search for ways to convince folks that sequestration cuts really matter, and that Congress actually needs to deal with this problem very soon, I offer this piece from the Wall Street Journal.
Contractors at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, the U.S.'s biggest nuclear-contamination site, plan to lay off at least 200 workers and furlough 2,500 more due to the across-the-board federal spending cuts known as the sequester, the U.S. Department of Energy said.
The Richland, Wash., facility administered by the DOE produced atomic-weapons ingredients for decades, leaving behind nuclear waste at its closure. The DOE spends about $2 billion a year cleaning Hanford's soil and buildings, about a third of funds the department designates for nuclear cleanup nationally.
Hanford contractors will lay off workers beginning this month and start furloughs in April, said DOE spokesman Erik Olds on Tuesday.
The Hanford Nuclear Reservation is perhaps best known for producing plutonium for bombs dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II.
"Now is no time to scale back federal commitments to protecting public and environmental health," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) said in a statement.
He's right. When sequestration lays off workers, it's a problem. When sequestration lays off workers cleaning up the nation's largest nuclear-contamination site, it's a different kind of problem.
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If only Hanford were in the Koch brothers' backyard...
yes, instead of upwind from here!
No, no, no, no, no! You cannot let something like this happen. This will leave radioactive material without adequate security.
Nobody wants THAT radioactive material - that's one of the reasons they can't get it out of Washington!!
And when the IHS lays off dialysis techs at an already-saturated clinic, someone you know may end up dying.
But, hey, her death will never make headlines so it's no big deal.
Oh I don't know, I think embryonic rights are more important! Also, women should hold an aspirin with their knees and never be allowed to terminate a pregnancy!
sarcasm? I assume!
move congress to Hanford until they get their act together
I like this idea... much as the idea someone had a couple of years ago that the mine owner where workers died due to safety violations should be required to locate his office *in* the mine.
It's simple, cut foreign aid to zero and bingo, we can pay for all the services here in the US. We wouldn't even need to raise taxes on anyone.
Do you even have an IQ, moron? Are you aware that all of foreign aid comes to less than 2% of the total budget?
At least we can see how you qualified for membership in the Republican Party, since you obviously were born without a neocortex. (Big word probably too much for you to understand, but it means you don't have the physical equipment to actually think)
Fer shure that will save us all about 1/2 of 1%, yeah. that'll do it, hails bails let's jist git 'er dun.
You fer shure ain't no independent or you would know that foreign aid is very little and growing less all the time, you "independent" types should quit the Faux News and pretending to actually know the facts. Your comment is ignorant to the max.
lol. what budget? We don't have one. 2% of a US budget is millions of dollars. Millions of dollars could go a long way here in this country. And yes, I am a true independent moron.
but aren't Republicans the mutant radioactive waste monsters?
Maybe they are seeking to multiply by unnatural means since they are not reproducing adequately by normal methods.
i have been informed by a reliable source that the cooling towers are so hot, THEY GLOW AT NIGHT.
also that getting close enough to the contamination bins was pretty much impossible.
you will notice that there is not major gov contractor with a disposal contract for this site. hint. hint. when you play with fire, you will get burned.
i have been saying forever and a day, "ship the stuff to the sun". whatever the cost, it is what it is.
Don't know where you are getting your information, Joseph, but you've got it really screwed up. Cooling towers don't "glow" because of heat or anything else. They are made of concrete and what they do is get rid of steam. You ever see any other steam pipes "glow"?
And people work in highly contaminated areas all the time!! It's called wearing the appropriate PPE's!!
There's not a major gov contractor with a disposal contract?????? Look at this link - these are some of the largest companies in the world and they are at Hanford!!
http://www.hanford.gov/page.cfm/HanfordContractors
We used to have a plan for getting rid of the high level waste by storing it safely in the ground, but thanks to Harry Reid, now we don't!!
You are right, we do need to find a way to deal with the waste, but the cost of rockets these days......
And the timing is even more ill-advised as they are having problems with leaking storage tanks. Lots of them
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/03/more_tanks_could_be_leaking_at.html
yadah yadah yadah...nooclear schmooclear...what about the white house tours?