Since 1995, Senator Patty Murray has worked to protect the Hanford Reach, a remarkable stretch of the Columbia River. She introduced and fought to pass legislation to protect the Hanford Reach in 1995, 1997, and 1999. On June 9, 2000, President Clinton designated the Hanford Reach as a National Monument. The designation covers over 200,000 acres of federal land held by the Department of Energy and spans 51 miles of the Columbia River. As a National Monument, the protection of this land will secure valuable salmon spawning ground, allow families to enjoy recreational activities along the river, and will allow generations of Americans to learn about the vital contributions and sacrifices the people of the Tri-Cities made to help America win World War II and the Cold War.
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Cleanup of the nuclear material and contaminated waste at the site is an ongoing challenge, even fifty years after plutonium production ceased. The 1989 Tri-Party Agreement signed between the Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and the State of Washington set forth a cleanup timetable and specific milestones that were to be achieved by those dates. Throughout Senator Murray’s tenure in the Senate, she has made it a priority to help ensure that cleanup at the site has the proper oversight and adequate funding to stay on track and be conducted in a safe manner.
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