The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is pleased to announce the establishment of a new Hanford Speakers Bureau Program. The story of the Hanford Site captivates the interest of audiences around the northwest region and across the United States. 

The Hanford Site sits adjacent to the Columbia River in Southeastern Washington State and for over 40 years was the primary producer of plutonium for national defense. Production of plutonium ceased with the end of the Cold War in 1989, and a new chapter of environmental cleanup began. This latest chapter is one of thousands of employees demolishing facilities, digging up contaminated debris and soil, remediating contaminated groundwater, building a treatment plant to isolate millions of gallons of tank waste, and placing former plutonium production reactors in a safe storage state until they are removed from the landscape.

These cleanup activities support the Department of Energy’s 2015 Vision – shrinking the footprint of active cleanup at the Hanford Site from 586 square miles to 75 square miles. This will be accomplished by demolishing hundreds of facilities, remediating hundreds of waste sites, and installing final groundwater treatment systems in the 220-square-mile area of Hanford next to the Columbia River, as well as cleaning up hundreds of debris sites in the 290-square-mile Hanford Reach National Monument.

Protecting the Columbia River from contamination is a priority for DOE, the nation, and residents of the Pacific Northwest. Fifty-one miles of the river run through the site, and approximately one million people live in more than 40 towns and cities downstream. DOE is committed to protecting the river and restoring the land and groundwater to its highest beneficial use.

The DOE’s Hanford Speakers Bureau offers your organization or school an opportunity to learn about Hanford’s history, as well as cleanup progress and challenges.

Contact the Hanford Speakers Bureau at 509.376.3419 Or Email: HSB@rl.gov

MSA External Affairs
Attention Speakers Bureau Coordinator
P.O. Box 650, MSIN A3-03
Richland, WA 99352