Hanford demolition a boon to Tri-Cities area

Birgitte K. Ahring, director of WSU Center for Bioproducts and Bioenergy in the Tri-Cities,
and from l- rt: Philip Teller and Jens Iversen, visiting scholars from Aalborg University
in Denmark; and Aftab Ahamed, post-doc student at WSU. (Photo courtesy Cecily Hutton)

 

 

 

RICHLAND – According to economic forecasts, Washington state could be positioned for a head start out of the recession, with job growth expected to rebound by the last quarter of 2009.

 

That upturn is already evident in the Tri-Cities area where nearly $2 billion in stimulus funding is slotted for environmental cleanup and the demolition of decrepit nuclear reactors at the Hanford site. The project is expected to indirectly benefit the WSU Tri-Cities campus – with ripple effects statewide.

 

As a part of President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Department of Energy (DOE) plans to accelerate the clean up of eight of the nine plutonium production reactors located along the Columbia River. Future goals include tearing down all eight of the reactors – with only the B reactor left standing to serve as a museum from the days of the Manhattan project.

 

Geoff Tyree, Hanford spokesman, said that clean-up efforts over the last 20 years have successfully prepared the Hanford site for the next step in reducing site contamination. 

 

“We have stabilized the nuclear material … and now we want to concentrate on shrinking the footprint of the site,” said Tyree. “It’s currently half the size of Rhode Island and we want to shrink it from 586 square miles to 75 square miles.”

 

The 50-year old Hanford site is one of the largest stimulus projects in the nation – and one of the largest environmental clean-ups in the world, he said.

Tyree estimates that up to 4,000 jobs can be saved or created in association with the Hanford site. So far, the project has saved 300 jobs that were slated to be cut – and also created 800 new jobs.

 

Recovery Act funds must be spent by the fall of 2011, so the DOE is under pressure to begin work on the massive project as quickly as possible. Tyree said 80 percent of the funding has already been provided and work was authorized to begin in April.

 

All of this activity translates into a population boom and economic growth for the Tri-Cities.

 

Carwein

 

 

“Each contractor coming in can add a thousand people to the area,” said Vicky L. Carwein, chancellor for WSU Tri-Cities. “We anticipate an increased demand for education programs as a result of the large number of new people moving into the area.”

 

Enrollment growth was up for WSU Tri-Cities in 2008 and is projected to grow by about 10 percent – from 1,337 students to approximately 1,500 students – next fall.

 

In addition, WSU Tri-Cities – in partnership with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) – has applied for many millions of dollars in stimulus funding. The two institutions collaborate on research projects to take place at the new Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory (BSEL) located at WSU Tri-Cities.

 

“We are now in the process of hiring our first group of four faculty members for the (BSEL) facility. They will engage with researchers from PNNL, and we expect our research activity to increase dramatically,” said Carwein.”

 

Engineers and scientists in demand

 

Birgitte Ahring, director of the WSU Center for Bioproducts and Bioenergy, said there will be a number of spin-offs from the Hanford project. 

 

“This is a great opportunity for WSU to work with a very dynamic community. There will be new industries created out of the technologies that are being developed in association with Hanford,” she said.  “There will also be a tremendous need for educated people in this region.”

 

Ahring feels that expansion of the engineering school at WSU Tri-Cities would directly benefit the region.

 

“We hear it from all the contractors moving in,” she said. “They keep asking, ‘when will you have the candidates we need?’ The contractors want local educated  people as it is so much easier to implement them.”

James R. “Dick” Pratt, WSU Tri-Cities vice chancellor for academic affairs, agrees. “There is a lot of opportunity here in a very technical environment. Our last employer survey of the area showed that about 1,700 science and engineering people were needed by local businesses. The demand could be higher by now.”

 

 

Minority education

Ahring also said that WSU could play a bigger role in promoting education for the large minority population in the region.

 

“If we can get more local people educated … and into the workforce, it will be good,” she said.

 

Pratt said that “WSU Tri-Cities is currently working on a plan to become a Hispanic serving institution – a federally recognized designation.” He also said it has one of the largest first-generation, low-income student outreach programs (GEAR-UP) in the nation.

 

Although Recovery Act funding only lasts two years, the DOE will continue work at the Hanford site for several more decades. Ahring said the Tri-Cities will need scientists to take over when the stimulus contractors leave – and that the university can be a part of that plan.

 

“We believe – and the governor believes – that the bioproducts and bioenergy industries are an important part of the solution for the future development of Washington state,” she said.