{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://walden.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wyden-walden-bipartisan-group-lawmakers-call-gao-review-infrastructure", "Wyden, Walden, Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Call on GAO to Review Infrastructure Safety, Unfinished Work at Hanford Nuclear Reservation", "2017-05-24", "2017", "2017-05", "Republican", "House", "OR", "Greg Walden", "W000791", "walden.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Wyden, Walden, Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Call on GAO to Review Infrastructure Safety, Unfinished Work at Hanford Nuclear Reservation \u00a0 \nFollowing recent tunnel collapse at Hanford, lawmakers push for answers on nuclear waste cleanup\nWashington, D.C.\u00a0\u2013 Following this month\u2019s tunnel collapse at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State, a bipartisan group of Pacific Northwest lawmakers today called for a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of the nuclear waste cleanup and environmental remediation work at Hanford.\nIn their letter today, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., along with Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Reps. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., asked the GAO to investigate the work Department of Energy still needs to complete to ensure the safety of workers at Hanford and the public.\n\u201cWe were alarmed by the recent tunnel collapse at the Hanford site, and are concerned that future events could put the safety of workers, the public, and environment at risk,\u201d\u00a0the members wrote in their request to GAO.\n\u201cThis event was another harsh reminder of the radioactive and toxic hazards that remain at the Hanford site, as well as the importance of ensuring the site has the resources necessary to expeditiously achieve its cleanup mission.\u201d\nThe underground tunnel, located adjacent to the now-closed PUREX processing plant, was used to store railroad cars loaded with radioactively contaminated equipment removed from the plant during its operation to produce plutonium for the U.S. nuclear weapons program.\u00a0The collapse was first reported by workers at the site on May 9, 2017.\nThe letter requests that GAO review the following:\nThe methods DOE used to monitor the tunnel that collapsed on May 9, as well as how DOE monitors the safety of other infrastructure and equipment.\u00a0  \n\tThe actions DOE will take to improve monitoring of Hanford\u2019s facilities to ensure structural stability and evaluate safety risks to workers, the public and environment.\u00a0  \n\tHow DOE will hold its contractors accountable to ensure workers are not exposed to radioactive or toxic materials.\u00a0  \n\tHow much radioactive waste still needs to be treated and the timeline for completing the treatment of the waste, as well as equipment, facilities, radioactive groundwater and soil surrounding the infrastructure.\u00a0  \n\tHow DOE identifies and determines the risks Hanford\u2019s aging infrastructure and radioactive waste pose to workers, the public, and environment, and how DOE prioritizes waste treatment work.\u00a0\u00a0  \n\tWhat DOE\u2019s plans are to remove the waste from and remediate Tunnel 1 and Tunnel 2 at the PUREX plant.\u00a0\nA copy of the letter is available here.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://walden.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wyden-walden-bipartisan-group-lawmakers-call-gao-review-infrastructure"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4633922837674618, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}