x
Breaking News
More () »

Energy Secretary Rick Perry visits Hanford reservation

It's Rick Perry's first trip to the Hanford site.

A welcome sign at one of the entrances to the Hanford Site in south-central Washington state.

RICHLAND, Wash. - Energy Secretary Rick Perry is making his first visit to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, which has been plagued by a series of problems recently.

Perry kicked off his tour at McNary Dam near the Tri-Cities on Monday evening. Tuesday he is expected to tour the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and other Hanford sites near Richland.

Hanford for decades made plutonium for nuclear weapons, and now is engaged in a massive cleanup of nuclear wastes that is expected to take decades and cost $100 billion.

The Tri-City Herald reports Perry promised to visit Hanford during his confirmation hearing.

Accidents occurred at Hanford in May and June as employees worked on cleaning up nuclear waste. No workers were injured but some radiation was released into the environment.

Before You Leave, Check This Out