Of Leaks and Lies: A Looming Nuclear Catastrophe Threatens the Pacific Northwest

Hanford’s tanks. Image courtesy of Dept. of Energy.

Last week, the Department of Energy, which oversees the aging nuclear site in Hanford, Washington, reported that a tank containing high-level radioactive waste was leaking.  This is currently the third tank we know of that’s releasing deadly nuclear waste into the soil above the groundwater that feeds the nearby Columbia River. This is not a new problem for Hanford, which has 177 of these huge underground tanks that contain 55 million...