A Letter to the Editor by Tom Carpenter
Published by the Tri-City Herald
Thank you for the Aug. 14 article on the recent round of concerns at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant ("Vit plant mixing system raises safety concerns"). The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, which is investigating safety violation allegations made by engineers at the plant, has kept communities and nuclear workers across the country safe for decades.
The board, the only independent federal agency doing this type of oversight, sustained a $3 million budget cut last year. Continuing these cuts next year will force a 20 percent reduction in the board's technical staff, eliminating oversight at facilities processing highly enriched uranium and other nuclear materials. Cutting the board's funding is penny wise and pound foolish, as reduced oversight leads to billions wasted on projects where contractors cut corners, risking public health, as Bechtel is accused of doing.
Sen. Patty Murray is in a unique position to protect America by fully funding the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. Safety at nuclear facilities is an investment that pays off for all Americans. A little investment in nuclear safety oversight will go a long way toward preventing failure at the vit plant.