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 News
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Swapping out an air filter at home is a simple task that most people can complete in minutes. But replacing dozens of massive, high-efficiency filters in a 70-year-old plutonium processing plant? That's a challenge.April 15, 2025
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The Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant is taking computer-based training to the next level by creating virtual walkthroughs of plant facilities.April 15, 2025
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Hanford firefighters are training in emergency response with teams at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant as the site gets ready to start treating radioactive waste from large, underground tanks.April 1, 2025
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Sometimes major cleanup projects require some, well, post-cleanup cleanup.March 18, 2025
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he Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant recently received more than 3,500 gallons of sodium hydroxide, commonly known as lye.March 18, 2025
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The Hanford Field Office and its tank operations contractor recently began retrieving radioactive and chemical waste from another large, underground storage tank at the Hanford Site.March 4, 2025
Brian Vance is the manager of the DOE Hanford Field Office. In this capacity, Vance is responsible for an overall annual budget of nearly $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, 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) | FY23 Request (in the millions) | FY24 Enacted (in the millions) | FY25 Requested (in the millions) |
| Office of River Protection | $1,645 | $1,604 | $1,730 | $1,975 | $1,890 | $2,001 |
| Richland Operations Office | $1,052 | $917 | $1,114 | $1,025 | $1,146 | $1,107 |
For more information on the Office of Environmental Management's budget process and performance check out the Budget & Performance page.