The U.S. Department of Energy faces a $115,000 fine for the way a contractor handled asbestos at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in southeast Washington.
The alleged violations happened during building demolitions in 2009 and 2010 when federal stimulus money sped-up deconstruction projects.
Dennis Faulk, a manager with the EPA, says the federal contractor failed to document and label truck shipments of asbestos debris. “The people handling the disposal end of the operations are not aware of certain hazards. And so if they had known that they would have handled the waste a little bit differently.”
The federal contractor -- CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company -- issued a statement that it’s committed to conducting its work in a safe, compliant manner.
The Energy Department has 15 days to dispute the alleged violations.
This report originally appeared at Northwest News Network.
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