Member wanted for Hanford Advisory Board

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• Portland watchdog group member in line to lead Hanford Advisory Board

  Portland watchdog group member in line to lead Hanford Advisory Board

  KENNEWICK, Wash. -- The Hanford Advisory Board elected Steve Hudson of Hanford Watch, a Portland-based watchdog group, as vice chairman Friday at its Kennewick meeting.

  That puts him in line to become chairman of the group when chairwoman Susan Leckband's term expires near the end of the year.

  She will have served three two-year terms, which is the limit for the board's leader.

• Nuclear safety amendments rejected by House committee

  Nuclear safety amendments rejected by House committee

  The House Rules Committee on Thursday rejected consideration of amendments offered by Democrats to block changes to the health and safety oversight of nuclear weapons facilities.

  The Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council joined national labor organizations opposing changes to safety oversight and requirements included in the House Defense Authorization bill for fiscal 2013. HAMTC believes the changes would weaken safety protections for workers at Hanford.

  Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., disagrees with that interpretation of the bill.

• More money needed to stay on track at Hanford

  More money needed to stay on track at Hanford

  Almost $2.8 billion would be required in fiscal 2014 to keep environmental cleanup on pace at the Hanford nuclear reservation, according to the first look at the budget released Thursday.

  That's up from about $2.2 billion in both the current Hanford budget and also the Obama administration's request for next year's Hanford budget.

  However, big questions remain, including the effects of possible sequestration triggered by the failure of a special congressional deficit committee to reach agreement and a proposal to create a new cost and schedule for the Hanford vitrification plant based on lower spending.

• Warning leads to safeguards for asbestos removal at Hanford

  Warning leads to safeguards for asbestos removal at Hanford

  The Department of Energy and its regulators have agreed to restrict the use of heavy equipment to demolish buildings that still have asbestos out of concern for worker health.

  The agreement, signed Monday, comes after the Environmental Protection Agency inspector general issued an early-warning report in December, saying that removal of asbestos in alternative ways at Hanford and elsewhere potentially threatened health and safety.

  Hanford contractors have conducted no demolition of buildings with asbestos in alternative ways since then, in part because none had been scheduled, said DOE spokesman Geoff Tyree.

• Hanford tour tickets available tonight

  Hanford tour tickets available tonight

  The race to get seats for this year's public tours of the Hanford nuclear reservation starts tonight at one minute after midnight.