Washington lawmakers fight to protect federal workers from chemical exposure
- By FederalSoup Staff
- Jul 24, 2017
Ranking members in the Senate on Monday announced efforts aimed at ensuring that the Department of Energy is protecting its workers in or near the tank farms at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state from exposure to dangerous chemicals.
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) the ranking member on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, along with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources, inserted a requirement into the Senate appropriations bill that would establish a resource center for workers in Hanford who have been exposed to chemical vapors.
The proposed resource center would provide education and advocacy to current and former Hanford employees on all available federal and state compensation programs to support workers affected by chemical exposure while on the job.
The bill also would require continued work to protect workers.
Earlier this year, workers at the Hanford plant testified that illnesses among employees are connected to chemical vapor exposure at the plant, and their medical claims are routinely denied.
“Workers at Hanford deserve the most stringent possible precautions in place as they make progress on the clean-up,” Senator Cantwell said in a release. “The measures that Senator Murray and I were able to include in the 2018 Appropriations bill will help make progress towards that important goal, and I look forward to seeing them become law."
Murry said, Murray said. “I’m encouraged to see these important provisions pass this hurdle, and I will fight to make sure the Trump Administration does everything in its power to put safety first and provide Hanford workers the health care and benefits they deserve.”