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When Colonel Franklin Mathias explored Hanford in December 1942, he thought he had discovered the ideal place to build a plutonium production facility as a component of the Manhattan Project. Within a few months, the staff was constructing nuclear buildings and reactors.
The Tri-Cities had no say in those decisions. We are in the midst of World War II and the race for the atomic bomb has begun. Secrecy and speed were key. After the war, Hanford remained a cornerstone of the economy and culture. Thousands of Tri-Cities citizens have worked there.
Now all eyes are on the long term and what to do with the approximately 14,000 acres adjacent to Richland. This is a debate in which Tri-Cities, governments, and business leaders have their say. Our long-term is at stake.
The U. S. Department of Energy, which Hanford oversees, has learned of land suitable for the production of carbon-free energy, most likely solar. He called the plan “From Cleanliness to Clean Energy. ” It’s already attracting interest from green energy companies.
That’s a smart position to start. The U. S. desperately wants more empty energy sources. The country is slowly moving toward electrifying ground transportation, heating, and other facilities that were once commonly powered by fossil fuels. The Biden administration may also want to reposition the electric power that would be lost. if he continued his reckless race to break dams on the lower Snake River.
However, as exciting as the blank force is, the Tri-City Development Council strongly argues that it is not the maximum productive use of those privileged lands. The solar force can pass to anywhere where there’s a lot of sunlight, and that’s the most you put into this. component of the state.
It’s the adjacent land northwest of Richland, which the city and TRIDEC are looking to turn into the Northwest’s first commercial blank energy zone. Just in recent months, Richland agreed to exempt a carbon-free nuclear fuel facility and fertilizer production plant from taxes.
Richland and TRIDEC aim for long-term economic progress that will create smart jobs for years to come. Solar farms, on the other hand, employ few people once they are up and running.
There is no single technique suitable for making Tri-Cities a reliable and blank economy of force style. But the production of force and the commercial uses of blank force need not be mutually exclusive. Acres under attention can provide enough domain for the sun. force while reserving a central domain along the corridor of Highway Four South to Energy Northwest’s allocation for commercial development.
The only way to do that is for the Department of Energy to slow down and interact more with local leaders who have a much greater concept of what kind of progression will serve the grid. The Department of Energy held a grid assembly last September in Richland. to talk about the plans.
Approximately one hundred network citizens and industry leaders showed up. But a Q&A consultation isn’t enough. There is a continuous coordination that takes into account the wishes of the citizens who will have to live next door no matter what happens in Hanford.
Of course, it probably wouldn’t be easy. There would be a competitive demand for properties and the direction the Department of Energy needs to take is at the forefront. Partnerships will also be established between producers, sellers and commercial users of electric power in the region for a percentage of the electricity generated locally. . There’s no point in pumping it into the grid when it can be so productive nearby.
These are demanding situations that cannot be overcome if conflicting interests are now united.
TRIDEC officials say the Department of Energy wants the Clean-to-Clean Energy agreements to be in a position to be announced in September, though they declined to speculate on why that might be the deadline. In any case, there’s no need to rush.
The earth isn’t going anywhere, and the decisions made today will be the domain for generations, long after the cleanup is complete. Do this with intentionality, foresight, and broad network partnerships.
The Tri-Cities didn’t have a say years ago; They deserve one today.
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