Update: This comment period has been extended until April 30, 2021. A virtual public meeting is planned for April 20, 2021 (see details below).

Public Comment Period for an Engineering Evaluation / Cost Analysis on Proposed Alternatives for 200 West Area Tier 2 Buildings/Structures Removal Action

The U.S. Department of Energy is holding a 30-day public comment period on an Engineering Evaluation / Cost Analysis (EE/CA) that evaluates three alternatives for non-time-critical removal actions for seven aging Tier 2 buildings/structures in Hanford’s 200 West Area.

Tier 1 facilities are not included in this action and include the reprocessing plants, or canyons. Tier 2 facilities are buildings or structures that are chemically and/or radiologically contaminated due to Hanford’s past nuclear materials production mission and require a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act response action because of the potential for a release of hazardous substances.

Built between the mid-1940s and mid-1980s, the Tier 2 buildings/structures in the scope of this EE/CA are contaminated to different degrees with chemical and radioactive substances as a result of their missions. The seven buildings/structures addressed in this EE/CA are located throughout Hanford’s 200 West Area and include the following:

• 213-W Waste Compactor Building
• 231-Z Materials Engineering Laboratory
• 242-S Evaporator Facility
• 242-T Waste Disposal Evaporator Building
• 242-TB Vent House
• 292-S Jet Pit House
• 292-T Fission Products Release Laboratory

Removal of these buildings will reduce risk of a release of hazardous substances and lower overall Hanford surveillance and maintenance costs. The 231-Z Materials Engineering Laboratory, located within the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) access control and monitoring boundary, is planned to undergo deactivation, decommission, decontamination, and demolition first to allow trained hazard removal and demolition crews to continue their critical risk-reduction work on the Central Plateau.

The comment period runs from March 15 through April 16 April 30, 2021. A virtual public meeting will be held April 20, at 5:30 p.m. PT. To participate via GoToWebinar, please follow the instructions below:

Visual (presentation only):

Click the GoToWebinar link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3067192553272139791

ID #: 161-178-555

Audio:

1. Dial +1 509-372-3087 (local) or +1 800-664-0771 (long distance)

2. Enter Conference ID: 1333#

Copies of the EE/CA and supporting documentation will be available online during the public comment period on the Hanford public involvement website at https://go.usa.gov/xVmew, in the Administrative Record at https://go.usa.gov/xspW3, and in the Hanford Public Information Repositories at https://go.usa.gov/xVDTS. 

Please submit comments by April 16, 2021 April 30, 2021 to Tier2EECA@rl.gov (preferred) or in writing to:
   
    U.S. Department of Energy
    Attn: Jennifer Colborn
    P.O. Box 450, H6-60
    Richland, WA 99352

Questions? Please contact Jennifer Colborn, Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, at Jennifer_M_Colborn@rl.gov or (509) 376-5840.

Fact Sheet                                      Public Meeting Presentation