The Hanford site, a 580-square-mile section of semi-arid desert in southeast Washington, was established in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project to produce plutonium for national defense. Hanford produced nearly two-thirds of the plutonium used in the US nuclear weapons stockpile, including materials for the Trinity Test and atomic bombs used to help end World War II. Cleanup of the Hanford site is managed by two DOE offices, the Richland Operations Office and the Office of River Protection. Watch the video below to learn more about the Hanford site.
Hanford News
Field Manager
Brian Vance, Manager
Brian Vance is the manager of the DOE Office of River Protection and Richland Operations Office. In this capacity, Vance is responsible for an overall annual budget of nearly $2.8 billion, and oversight of the contractors and more than 11,000 employees involved in cleanup of the 580-square-mile Hanford Site. In his role as manager, Vance is responsible for the safe and environmentally acceptable cleanup of the site, including groundwater remediation; hazardous waste and facilities decontamination and disposal operations; treatment and disposal of radioactive chemical liquid waste; and the design, construction and commissioning of the world’s largest complex of nuclear vitrification facilities, the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant.
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High-Level Budget Information
| Office |
FY22 Enacted (in the millions) |
FY23 Request (in the millions) |
FY23 Enacted (in the millions) |
FY24 Request (in the millions) |
| Office of River Protection | $1,645 | $1,604 | $1,730 | $1,975 |
| Richland Operations Office | $1,052 | $917 | $1,114 | $1,025 |
For more information on the Office of Environmental Management's budget process and performance check out the Budget & Performance page.
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PROGRAM PLANNING & REVIEW
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MAJOR CONTRACTORS
Hanford Office of River Protection
- Bechtel National
- Hanford Laboratory Management and Integration
- Washington River Protection Solutions
Hanford Richland Operations Office