Congress approves money for Hanford nuclear cleanup

RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) — The budget for the Hanford nuclear reservation for the current fiscal year will be nearly $128 million more than proposed by the Biden administration and about $25 million above the fiscal 2021 budget. The U.S. Senate approved the budget last week as part of a massive spending bill for the fiscal year that began in October. The Tri-City Herald reports the spending package includes a record high amount of nearly $2.6 billion for maintenance and environmental cleanup of the site in Eastern Washington. But even that amount falls shy of cleanup costs, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., pointed out in budget hearings. Congress would need to budget for than $11 billion a year for the next 57 years to complete Hanford cleanup.