A proposal to speed up the K Basins cleanup has tentative support in Hanford circles, but some loose ends and questions remain unresolved.
Some questions still remain to be answered.
DOE expects to decide late this month whether to approve Fluor Hanford's plan to cut a year off the K Basins cleanup by removing sludges from the two indoor pools earlier than planned. On Wednesday, federal officials from DOE and the Environmental Protection Agency and HAB committee members discussed Fluor's proposal to move the current 2005 completion date to 2004. They also contain about 55 cubic meters of radioactive sludge, mostly in the K East Basin. Hanford's master plan is to move the fuel canisters to a safer central Hanford underground vault. The project has been plagued with numerous cost increases and schedule extensions.