DOE agrees to halt nuclear waste shipments

THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2003

In response to a lawsuit filed by the state of Washington, the Department of Energy agreed to put a temporary halt to nuclear waste shipments to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

The state wants the federal government to commit to a cleanup schedule before any more waste is stored at Hanford. The DOE says it will stop shipments for 45 days as the court case advances.

Hanford was part of Yakama Nation territory until it was ceded by a late 1800s treaty. Several tribes in the Pacific Northwest used the area for gathering and other purposes.

Up until the 1930s, when the site was converted to the nuclear reservation, the Wanapum Band, which is not federally recognized, lived on the land.

Get the Story:
DOE stops Hanford shipments (AP 3/6)

Relevant Links:
Indian Nations Program, Hanford Site - http://www.hanford.gov/doe/inp/index.htm
Cultural and Historic Resource Program, Hanford Site - http://www.hanford.gov/doe/culres/native.html

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