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. Watch the video below to learn more about the Hanford site.
Hanford Photo Gallery
Hanford Site firefighters are training on emergency response at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant as part of their readiness training for startup of waste treatment.
Hanford News
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The Hanford Site has successfully started up its Low-Activity Waste Facility, a key component of the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant that has begun to solidify Hanford tank waste in glass for the first time. This achievement, supported by the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management meets the October 15, 2025, Consent Decree legal commitment with the state of Washington.October 15, 2025
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Workers at the Hanford Site treated more than 7.25 million gallons of wastewater over a six-month period that ended recently. September 30, 2025September 30, 2025
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Construction is set to begin on a new fire station at the Hanford Site, boosting emergency response for workers and operations that support the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management cleanup mission.September 30, 2025
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Workers at the Hanford Site have removed a facility once used to prepare spent nuclear fuel for storage, marking continued progress in the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management’s risk-reduction work near the Columbia River. September 23, 2025September 23, 2025
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The Hanford Field Office is tackling the legacy of the past, cleaning up decades-old radioactive waste stored in large underground tanks. September 16, 2025September 16, 2025
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Hanford’s Ecological Monitoring & Compliance team earned the Organization of the Year award from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for protecting plants, animals and habitats on the Hanford Site. September 16, 2025September 16, 2025
Federal Project Director
Ray Geimer is the manager of the DOE Hanford Field Office. In this capacity, Geimer is responsible for an overall annual budget of $3 billion, and oversight of the contractors and more than 13,000 employees involved in cleanup of the 580-square-mile Hanford site. In his role as manager, Geimer 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.
Click here for full his full biography.
| Office | FY24 Request (in the millions) | FY24 Enacted (in the millions) | FY25 Request (in the millions) | FY25 Enacted (in the millions) | FY26 Request (in the millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office of River Protection | $1,975 | $1,890 | $2,001 | $1,937 | $2,100 |
| Richland Operations | $1,025 | $1,146 | $1,107 | $1,134 | $971 |
For more information on the Office of Environmental Management's budget process and performance check out the Budget & Performance page.