Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon is joining a lawsuit against the federal government over Hanford. Governor Ted Kulongoski says cleanup has been delayed at the nuclear site for too long. KLCC’s Rachael McDonald has more.

The Hanford Nuclear Reservation in southeast Washington State is one of the most contaminated places in the world.

Radioactive material left over from Cold War era plutonium production and buried in the ground is making its way to the Columbia River.

Oregon is joining a lawsuit filed by Washington State in November calling on the federal government to prioritize cleanup.

Mike Carrier is Natural Resources Policy Director for Governor Kulongoski. He says Oregon has long sought federal recognition as an affected party.

Mike Carrier: “So we see this lawsuit as an opportunity for us to, not only protect Oregon citizens and Oregon’s portion of the Columbia River but also to give us standing in working with the federal government on getting the cleanup milestones met for Hanford that have been missed over and over again.”

Carrier says it’s encouraging that the Obama Administration included money for Hanford cleanup in the federal stimulus package.