"The Department of Energy has reduced the 586 square miles of Hanford requiring environmental cleanup to 161 square miles. In three more years, the land requiring cleanup could be little more than the 75 square miles at Hanford's center as DOE works to complete cleanup outlined in its 2015 Vision, an ambitious plan for work to be completed by the end of 2015."

"It's been clear since at least summer that DOE won't be able to finish all the work in the plan announced about five years ago. But DOE says it is on track to come close.

Five years ago, DOE wanted to break out a scope of work that could be completed in the near term to allow the public to see tangible progress in Hanford environmental cleanup, even though completion of all cleanup will stretch out for decades to come."

Annette Cary reports for the Tri-City Herald November 25, 2012. [2]