Nuclear waste initiative proves explosive

Opponents call I-297 unnecessary, supporters dub it a possible boost for economy

Initiative 297 is proving as explosive as the material it plans to oversee.

The initiative set to tighten up laws regarding the clean-up of radioactive waste at the Hanford site has encountered strong backers and sharp opposition throughout the state.

Environmental groups tend to support it, calling it a possible boost for the economy and the environment. Opponents doubt it will pass muster in courts and if it does, they call it an unnecessary measure, as they believe that most of what the initiative would do is already being done by existing guidelines.

Bob Cooper, press manager of the Yes on I-297 campaign, backed by environmental advocacy group Heart of America Northwest, said that the situation regarding nuclear waste has become serious enough that an initiative such as I-297 is not only needed but imperative.

"Hanford is the most contaminated site in America and the Western Hemisphere," he said, adding that according to data, dumping of nuclear waste on unlined soil trenches has continued, with more than a million gallons leaking from underground tanks, seeping into the Columbia River.

Not only that, Cooper said, but the government plants to continue shipping out waste to Hanford.

What I-297 does, he said, is it states that no more nuclear waste can be taken there until it is cleaned up.

The clean-up of the Hanford site has taken decades due to federal government inaction, Cooper said. "It is time for the state to step in and get the job done," he added.

States have the right to say "no more" to the federal government, Cooper said, if the state has a contaminated site. This stipulation tends to be one of the biggest misconceptions about the whole situation, he added.

"One of the main misconceptions is that the state cannot tell the federal government what to do," he said. "But the federal law says the states have the right to say no more waste at a contaminated site.

If it passes, Cooper expects I-297 to do several things. First it expects to drive the point across of no more waste at Hanford until federal law standards are met.

Second, it delineates that the tanks need to be emptied. Cooper accused the federal government of planning to leave 10 percent of the radioactive waste in the tanks at Hanford and then call it a day.

"I-297 says you can't do that." At the same time, the initiative will demand a clean-up of the soil and the groundwater.

All these sound like major tasks, and Cooper knows it. "It will probably take decades because it is one large mess,” he said. "But just because it is difficult it does not mean the job does not need to be done."

Several businesses organizations such as the Association of Washington Businesses and the Tri-Cities Industrial Development Council have openly opposed I-297. Cooper said the opposition from business is due to the amount of money in play.

"Companies that clean the tanks get between one and two million dollars," he said. "Under I-297, they still get their payment but they have to meet a more stringent standard.

"They actually have to clean up the tank," he added.

Despite the opposition, Cooper is optimistic that I-297 will pass muster among the voters.

"I-297 protects jobs saying the clean-up has to be continued," he said. "It's good for the economy, for jobs, for the environment and the right thing to do."

Carl Adrian, the president of TRIDEC, said I-297 would result in exactly the opposite outcome.

Adrian said that if it passes, I-297 would "certainly" face a court challenge, as it preempts the Toxic Energy Act or the Interstate Commerce clause in the Constitution.

If it goes to court, Adrian said, there are two possible outcomes, the initiative being found legal or illegal. In case of the former, he said, states such as New Mexico and Nevada will adopt similar measures, and "that is where 90 percent of the Hanford waste is supposed to go," he said.

He added, "So we end up with more waste here."

In case of the latter, the time spent by the initiative in court wastes state money and creates a significant delay in clean-up efforts, Adrian said.

The Department of Energy, Adrian said, has a plan to export 90 percent of the waste at Hanford. However, if that plan is put in limbo, the government will be less inclined to go forth with clean-ups, as the destination of the waste will be unknown.

Adrian described I-297 in three major points: preventing waste from being imported to Hanford until the clean-up is complete, creating a citizens advisory group and levying a surcharge on the clean-ups.

First, he said, Hanford has had an advisory board for years, hence creating another one is unnecessary.

Regarding the levy, Adrian called it a small percentage that generates a significant amount of money. Although he said he did not object to that, nor to the fact that funds would be available to environmental advocacy groups, he did object to the fact that one of those groups, Heart of America, stands to be one of the beneficiaries.

Regarding the prevention of the waste being imported until the clean-up is complete, Adrian said the initiative does no more than what the existing laws do right now. Its positive impact on the economy is also relative, he added.

"If it passes or it doesn't, if the clean-up is delayed, the impact in the economy will be as light reduction in employment," he said. "But it will be here longer."