Cleaner Lands
Nuclear Waste Site Cleanup
The Department of Energy (DOE) is significantly reducing the amount of time needed to clean up waste sites
from our Cold War legacy. When the Bush Administration assumed office in 2001, DOE was working with a
timetable of 70 years to complete cleanup at a cost of $192 billion. DOE states its reforms will accelerate
completion by 35 years, reducing the estimated cost by about $50 billion. For example, the Hanford site in
Washington is planned to be cleaned up to the same standards 35 years ahead of schedule in 2035 for roughly $45
billion - saving taxpayers nearly $23 billion.