Completion of Liquid Waste Transfer is Critical Step Toward
                            Ensuring a Safer Site

    HANFORD, Wash., Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, CH2M HILL Hanford Group is
celebrating an important milestone -- completion of the removal of more than 3
million gallons of pumpable liquids from the single-shell underground
radioactive waste storage tanks on the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford
Site in Washington State.  This completes the field work portion of the
project, which is now awaiting State of Washington concurrence.  CH2M HILL
Hanford and the Department of Energy's Office of River Protection are hosting
an employee celebration at the site.
    "While this is just one step on the path to completing Hanford tank
cleanup, it has great significance to our workers, the community and the
environment.  We reached this milestone five months ahead of schedule, in
large part due to the hard work and commitment of our workers.  They are our
greatest asset," said Ed Aromi, President and General Manager of CH2M HILL
Hanford Group.
    The completion of the liquid transfer is a significant safety milestone.
The aging single-shell waste storage tanks, some of which date back to the
beginning of the Manhattan Project, will be much less likely to leak liquids
to the surrounding soil while they await final cleanout and closure.  As many
as 67 of these tanks are suspected of leaking as much as a million gallons of
waste to the soil.
    The transfer of liquid waste from the single-shell tanks to safer, double-
shell tank storage, commonly called "interim stabilization," began in the
early stages of Hanford cleanup.  In 1999, the Department of Energy and the
State of Washington agreed to a more aggressive cleanup schedule to eliminate
liquids from the remaining 29 tanks.  The new schedule reflected a commitment
to keeping the project on track and ensuring a safer Hanford.  Pumping of the
more than 3 million gallons was finished in April 2004.
    "We have worked extremely hard to complete this work safely, on schedule
and within budget and we accomplished all three objectives.  This work also
builds the foundation for the next phase of tank waste cleanup, the removal of
solids and sludges and the ultimate decisions on closure of the tanks," said
Waste Retrieval and Closure Project director Terry Hissong.  Hissong said the
lessons learned over the five-year span of this project are being applied to
the retrieval project, which is already under way.
    "At CH2M HILL the health and safety of our workers is our top priority.
We know first hand that the work we are doing is complex and difficult.
However, we are committed to doing everything we can to secure the health and
safety of our workers," said Aromi.  "That was the case as we worked toward
this most recent milestone, and will continue to guide our efforts until the
job is done."
    Speakers at today's celebration include Washington Fourth District
Congressman Doc Hastings, Washington State Attorney General Christine
Gregoire, Washington State Department of Ecology Nuclear Waste Program Manager
Mike Wilson, and the director of the Oregon Department of Energy, Mike
Grainey.

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