Oregon Public Broadcasting

Governor Chris Gregoire says President Bush’s federal budget doesn’t include enough money to cleanup the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Eastern Washington.

The governor told reporters Monday the president’s budget would only cleanup one tank of radioactive waste a year. That’s too slow, she says, because there are 177 leaky underground tanks.

Chris Gregoire: "I kind of thought we might be able to do it in my lifetime, or at least my daughter’s lifetime. We will guarantee the Columbia River will be contaminated. That budget of the president is very, very discouraging. We have got to get going. There is too much at stake over there."

The president’s proposed budget could cut as much as $30 million from Hanford cleanup.

Governor Gregoire has threatened to sue the federal government over the matter. The governor met with Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman recently to try and work out a solution.

For now, the governor says she’s working with the Northwest congressional delegation to get more money for Hanford.