A new report from the Energy Department’s Inspector General shows that Bechtel – the firm behind the minimum $12+ billion waste-treatment project at the Hanford Nuclear Site in Washington state – has been obtaining important parts without subjecting the purchases to required quality assurance standards. This is an essential step to insure that Hanford’s vitrification plant – which mixes glass with highly radioactive nuclear waste – will operate safely in the future. The Hanford cleanup project has long been shrouded in notorious scandal involving safety lapses, causing years of delay and billions of overspent dollars.
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