Hanford Clean-Up Received Its Biggest Budget Ever

President Joe Biden's budget request was released last week, and included $8.3 billion for the Department of Energy’s Environmental Management program to support the cleanup of communities used during the Manhattan Project and Cold War for nuclear weapons production.

The detailed breakdown of that request, including the request for Hanford cleanup, was released this week. DOE estimates show the funding request for Hanford to be about $3.004 billion, a record request.

Laura Watson, the Director of the Washington Department of Energy, released he following statement:

“The fiscal year 2024 record Hanford budget request by President Biden of more than $3 billion is a huge step forward for Hanford cleanup and the entire Pacific Northwest. This announcement shows that our collective efforts to increase funding and keep the cleanup on track are gaining traction in Washington, D.C. We’re grateful to President Biden and the U.S. Department of Energy for recognizing the need to meet our nation's obligation to restore the Hanford Site and protect Washington's environment...”

The previous budget for Hanford clean-up was for fiscal year '22. Washington Senator Murray secured $2.595 billion for the Hanford site clean-up, which was $128 million above the President's Budget Request.

If you are so inclined, you can find the President’s detailed budget request breakdown here.

Also, a link to the overall President’s budget request can be found here.

And lastly, here is a link to Director Watson’s Tweets about this, including a nice Hanford photo.