(Washington, D.C.) —Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committees, released the following statement on the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus, which includes critical federal funding for Washington state, including $2.336 billion for Hanford cleanup. Earlier this year, Senator Murray pushed back on the Administration’s proposal to cut funds for the cleanup effort, including a proposed cut to Richland Operations of nearly $100 million. The Omnibus bill would increase investments for Hanford cleanup operations, and is expected to pass the House of Representatives and the Senate in the coming days.
“The federal government has a legal and moral obligation to clean up Hanford, which is why I fight year in and year out to make sure that commitment is maintained and Hanford gets the resources it needs to get the job done,” Senator Murray said. “It wasn’t easy this year between President Obama underfunding Hanford in his budget and additional cuts proposed in the House, but I was proud to fight hard to make sure this final deal increases our commitment to this local and national priority. It is so critical that the federal government keeps its eye on the ball to do what’s right for the Tri-Cities community, and I am going to keep fighting to make sure that continues.”
Breakdown of the $2.336 billion funding total for Hanford cleanup:
- $922.59 million for Richland Operations, an increase of $78.7 million above the President’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget request
- $1.414 billion for Office of River Protection, equal to the President’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget request and a $146 million increase over the proposed House bill
- $765 million for Waste Treatment Plant
- $649 million for Tank Farm Activities
Hanford represents two of the sixteen nuclear waste cleanup sites across the country created by the Manhattan Project and Cold War that depend on federal funding to ensure critical cleanup operations continue.
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