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Hundreds Of Expected Layoffs At Hanford Canceled

File photo of a crew working on a waste tank at Hanford in 2010.
U.S. Department of Energy
File photo of a crew working on a waste tank at Hanford in 2010.

About 300 people will keep their jobs at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in southeast Washington.

Layoffs announced last year have largely not happened because Congress approved the federal budget for 2014 last week.

About 160 workers have voluntarily left their jobs at Hanford since late last year. The downsizing was prompted by uncertainty about Congressional budget writing. The continuing budget resolution approved by Congress solidifies money for the nuclear site this year.

Many of the 300 workers facing job insecurity are from a company that cleans up radioactive sludge in aging underground tanks. That project has many pressing legal deadlines, so keeping workers busy there comes as welcome news to Hanford watchdogs.

Copyright 2014 Northwest News Network

Anna King
Anna King calls Richland, Washington home and loves unearthing great stories about people in the Northwest. She reports for the Northwest News Network from a studio at Washington State University, Tri-Cities. She covers the Mid-Columbia region, from nuclear reactors to Mexican rodeos.