Murray Delivers Major Victory for Hanford in Final Version of Yearly Spending Bill

Press Release

Murray secures $87 million over the President's request for cleanup in the upcoming Fiscal Year

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) a senior member of the Energy and Water Appropriations Committee, announced that the final version of a spending bill that funds Hanford cleanup will include more than $87 million more for cleanup than the President's Fiscal Year 2010 budget request. Murray, who was part of the Conference Committee and Appropriations Subcommittee that crafted the final legislation, fought for the inclusion of the additional funding after the House version of the bill cut Hanford funding to $51.8 million below the President's budget request. The additional funding secured by Murray will go primarily toward groundwater cleanup and K Basin sludge treatment and disposal.

"At a time when everyone is vying for federal energy dollars, this is a big win," said Senator Murray. "This bill moves us toward the consistent budgets we need each year to deliver on cleanup goals. And when combined with the nearly $2 billion in funding in the Recovery Act, it will allow us to continue to safeguard jobs and address big cleanup priorities like ground water protection and waste treatment. I will continue to step forward to protect Hanford funding when it is targeted to be cut. After taking a big step forward with the Economic Recovery Act we can't afford to take any steps back."

Senator Murray announced the Fiscal Year 2010 funding levels following a Conference Committee meeting on the FY2010 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill which contains the funding for Hanford clean-up within the Environmental Management (EM) budget. The Conference Committee version of the bill is now expected to pass through both chambers of Congress and be signed by President Obama.

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