KENNEWICK — Gov. Bob Ferguson plans to challenge any decision that changes the current plan to start turning radioactive waste into a stable glass form at the Hanford vitrification plant for disposal.

Ferguson and Casey Sixkiller, the director of the Washington state Department of Ecology, expect to travel to the Tri-Cities for a Friday news conference to discuss the vitrification plant, the governor’s office said.

He released a statement Thursday morning after U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, said Wednesday evening that Energy Secretary Chris Wright had admitted to actively stalling startup of the massive Waste Treatment Plant, or vit plant, at the Hanford nuclear site in Eastern Washington.

“This decision is a stunning waste of resources, a violation of multiple legal agreements and a slap in

See Full Page