Nuclear Weapons Waste Haunts Hanford

December 17, 2014 | Edited by Jacob Marx

Cleanup needed - The Department of Energy should assess the extent to which radioactive waste storage tanks are susceptible to leaking, “update its schedule for removing waste from the tanks, and assess the alternatives for creating additional [storage] space,” finds a new GAO report on the Hanford Site Cleanup. The report was prompted by leaks, intrusions and construction delays, which “raised questions among regulators, the public, and Congress about the risks posed by continuing to store waste in the aging tanks.” Full report here. http://1.usa.gov/13bH9HE

See also: “Hanford Waste Storage Tanks Continue to Deteriorate,” via Nicholas Geranios for the Associated Press. http://abcn.ws/1uYUXNi

Tweet - @Cirincione: Even when your done making nuclear weapons you're not done. Hanford n-waste tanks leaking badly. http://nyti.ms/1AbEzOS

Leak at Y-12 - “Y-12 officials Tuesday declared the situation ‘stable’ several hours after a chemical spill forced an evacuation of a production facility at the nuclear weapons plant.” As the Knoxville News Sentinel reports, no workers were injured, there was no release to the environment, and the chemical leaked was non-radioactive. Full report by Frank Munger. http://bit.ly/1yZtnWq

Budget busting boomers - Naval leaders pushed back against the Congressional Budget Office’s findings that the Ohio-Class replacement will total $92 billion, 17% more than Navy’s estimate. Though their cost estimates differ, the Pentagon agrees it needs help with the bill. “Additional funding for the ORP is critical,” said the CNO’s spokesman, Capt. Danny Hernandez. “Without additional funding this would break our shipbuilding account and then some.” Full story by Sydney Freedberg for Breaking Defense. http://bit.ly/1BY3kgQ

Understanding Marvian - Why did the IAEA turn down the chance to inspect Iran’s supposed nuclear site at Marivan? According to Mark Hibbs, “If the IAEA doesn’t go to Marivan on Iran’s terms, Iran’s spin doctors will claim that the IAEA is not cooperating to resolve PMD allegations. If the IAEA instead goes to Marivan, and finds nothing, Iran will declare the case closed....As long as Iran views its cooperation with the IAEA as a bargaining chip in a negotiation with the powers for future benefits, it may not agree.” Full column in here. http://bit.ly/1zsxedG

Nuclear complex - Fresh coverage by Douglas Birch of the Center for Public Integrity of Congress’s DOE weapons review examines the background of the panelists - “experts affiliated with the private contractors that perform much of the country’s nuclear weapons work” - and the administration’s “tepid” response to the findings. Full story here. http://bit.ly/1yYibo0

Crimea drama continues - “Russia would violate international agreements if it placed nuclear weapons in Crimea,” Ukraine's Prime Minister said in response to a recent statement by the Russian Foreign Minister. Full story by Adrian Croft for Reuters. http://reut.rs/1BY9IEJ

Brass tacks of threat reduction - Documenting “how capabilities for diplomatic means of threat reduction have been degraded is a precondition for renewal,” writes Michael Krepon for Arms Control Wonk. “What is the extent of understaffing, mal-deployment and under-resourcing, and how might these be improved? Clarifying these deficiencies will come to naught unless sympathetic Members of Congress are as tenacious in fighting for remedies as supporters of the nuclear enterprise. Otherwise, threats will grow regardless of how much is invested in strategic modernization programs.” Full column here. http://bit.ly/1BUODxL

Quick Hits:

--“Kim Jong Un Looks to Complete Nuclear Legacy Left by Father,” by Sam Kim in Bloomberg. http://bloom.bg/1uZ4GDo

--“Tool thefts from lab ‘hot zones’ raise concerns about security, health risks,” reports Patrick Malone for the Santa Fe New Mexican. http://bit.ly/1vZb78v

--“Here's How Many 'Super Nukes' American Scientists Thought It Would Take To Destroy The World In 1945,” by Pierre Biename for Business Insider. http://read.bi/1sF0AoH

--“The U.S. Considered An "Accidental" Bombing Of China's Nuke Facilities,” by Mark Strauss for io9. http://bit.ly/1vZcDHU

Events:

--“Breaking the Stalemate in U.S.-South Korea Nuclear Cooperation Negotiations,” featuring Scott Snyder. From Noon-1:30 PM on December 17 at the Global America Business Institute. Located at 1001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 435, Washington. RSVP to Christina Sookyung Jung by email at csjung@thegabi.com.

--“Preventing a Nuclear-Armed Iran through Diplomacy,” webinar by Womens Action for New Directions, featuring Kelsey Davenport of ACA and Jamal Abdi of NIAC. Wednesday January 7 at 2:00 PM. Register here.

Dessert:

The Dirty Dozen, in Norwegian - “So it's a Norwegian TV series, but if you die in Norway you die in real life so I'll count it. And since The Heavy Water War focuses on a uniquely Norwegian facet of one of the less-well known events of World War II, you might even say that it gives it an especially pertinent focus.”

--“The new docu-drama series is one of the biggest in Norwegian television history, costing €8.7 million, and its stated goal is to tell the story of the secret attack on a heavy water-producing Norwegian power plant, captured by the Nazis, which the Germans hoped to use in development of their own atomic bomb.” Micahel Ballaban has a bit of history and the trailer over at Foxtrot Alpha. http://bit.ly/13aCxls