Associated Press: Six Tanks at Hanford Nuclear Site in Washington Leaking
Federal and state officials announced Friday that the Hanford nuclear site, the most contaminated of its kind in the US, is leaking radioactive and toxic waste at a rate of 150 to 300 gallons per year from six different underground tanks, threatening groundwater and rivers.
Since the leak was initially announced 10 days ago, it has also become clear that six leaking tanks were installed decades ago and are long past their intended 20-year lifespan. The Hanford site has been the subject of contested debate for many years. Currently the clean-up endeavor receives one-third of the federal government's total funding devoted to nuclear waste stabilization, while mismanagement and evaluation issues at Hanford are commonplace. GAP spinoff Hanford Challenge has raised awareness and advocated for more safety on these issues for years. The solution will continue to be discussed as representatives from Washington travel to the capitol this week.
Key Quote: Tom Carpenter of Hanford Challenge, a Hanford watchdog group, said Friday it's disappointing that the Energy Department is not further along on the waste treatment plant and that there aren't new tanks to transfer waste into. "None of these tanks would be acceptable for use today. They are all beyond their design life. None of them should be in service," he said. "And yet, they're holding two-thirds of the nation's high-level nuclear waste."
Related Articles: Washington Times, Tri-City Herald, NBC
NPR: DOJ Joins Whistleblower Case Against Lance Armstrong
The lawsuit filed by cyclist Floyd Landis against Lance Armstrong in 2010 has received a boost after the Department of Justice has agreed to join the US Anti-Doping Agency in the multi-million dollar case.
According to the New York Times and other new outlets, the DOJ is joining the case because the cycling team defrauded the federal government by accepting millions of dollars from their sponsor, the US Postal Service, while knowingly participating in a complex, professional, and highly illegal doping scheme.
Related Articles: Washington Post, Legal Times
Associated Press: Whistleblower Suits Say Military Parts Defective
Two employees at the Louisiana Slidell machining company are seeking damages under whistleblower protection laws after claiming the company supplied defective parts for military vehicles. The whistleblowers said that they, along with other employees uncertified to weld, were ordered to weld together machinery intended for military use and were subsequently threatened to keep quiet.
Digital Journal: Whistleblower John Kiriakou Parties Before Going to Jail
CIA/Torture whistleblower and GAP client John Kiriakou joined with friends, journalists, activists and fellow whistleblowers at a party one week before he is to begin serving his 30 month sentence this Thursday.
The Hill: GOP Warns USDA Against Furloughing Meat Inspectors to Deal with Sequester
A Republican on the House Agriculture Committee warns against the federal plan to furlough 6000 food inspectors if the proposed spending cuts under the sequester are implemented. The congressman says the the move will disrupt meat and poultry inspection and put consumer safety at risk.
Related Articles: Reuters, Forbes
Jack Davis is Communications Associate for the Government Accountability Project, the nation's leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization.
