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OLYMPIA – Governor Bob Ferguson today announced that he is joining with other governors across the U.S. to launch the Governors Public Health Alliance, a new nonpartisan initiative bringing together governors across state lines to strengthen coordination, preparedness and response on public health issues.

In coordination with Governors Maura Healey (MA), Josh Green (HI), Kathy Hochul (NY), Tina Kotek (OR), Ned Lamont (CT), Lou Leon Guerrero (GU), Dan McKee (RI), Matt Meyer (DE), Wes Moore (MD), Phil Murphy (NJ), Gavin Newsom (CA), Jared Polis (CO), JB Pritzker (IL) and Josh Stein (NC), the Alliance will allow states to explore data-sharing, align on guidance and act quickly in the face of emerging health threats — from seasonal illness outbreaks to future global health challenges.

“I’m proud to join this Alliance of governors across the country who are committed to protecting the health of our residents,” Governor Ferguson said. “Diseases don’t stop at state or national borders — and preparedness shouldn’t either. By joining forces, we will act faster and communicate better to ensure our communities stay healthy.”

The Governors Public Health Alliance will serve as a nonpartisan coordinating hub for governors and their public health leaders and a unified, cross-state liaison with the global health community. The Alliance also provides a platform for governors to exchange best practices, align policies and coordinate on issues like vaccine access, emergency response and health security.

The Governors Public Health Alliance supports national coordination on public health at the gubernatorial level – complementing existing mechanisms and interfacing with entities like the West Coast Health Alliance, of which Washington is a part. The Governors Public Health Alliance will facilitate this cross-state collaboration by bringing together regional and other groups to share best practices and surface common challenges, elevating national considerations for vaccine policy and regulatory solutions to keep science front and center. The Alliance welcomes further engagement across Governors’ Offices and with public health associations and other relevant groups.

The Governors Public Health Alliance is supported by the Governors Action Alliance (GovAct), a nonprofit, nonpartisan initiative that supports governors in protecting fundamental freedoms, including public health. The Alliance is advised by leading public health experts, including former CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen, former Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink and Dr. Raj Panjabi, former White House Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biodefense. As an initiative of GovAct, the Alliance will also be advised by GovAct’s Bipartisan Advisory Board of former governors and former senior federal officials.

“With many health threats at our doorstep, collaboration and communication between Governors is essential to protect the health of families and save lives,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, former CDC Director and former North Carolina Secretary for Health and Human Services. “This alliance creates the framework to support the national coordination needed to safeguard communities.”

“Governors are being asked to do more with less—daily. And yet the challenges keep growing,” said Julia Spiegel, founder and CEO of GovAct. “GovAct is here to help bring capacity, expertise, and know-how so that governors have the tools they need to act decisively, together, to protect the health and well-being of their people.”

Participating states have already begun sharing best practices, receiving briefings from public health experts and coordinating on executive actions governors can take to strengthen public health protections, including standing orders or directives to preserve access to COVID-19 vaccines. 

The Alliance will provide governors and their teams with timely briefings, policy toolkits and coordinated strategies to respond to major public health events and consistent communication across states and communities.

HANFORD — After decades of work and billions invested at the nation’s most complex cleanup site, Governor Bob Ferguson and the Washington State Department of Ecology announce nuclear waste is now being moved from deteriorating underground tanks and turned into glass for safe disposal at Hanford’s Low-Activity Waste Facility.

This landmark moment comes ahead of an Oct. 15 legal deadline between Washington state and the U.S. Department of Energy to begin transforming radioactive and hazardous tank waste at the plant, a milestone known as “hot commissioning.”

“It’s difficult to overstate how important this milestone is in the Hanford cleanup effort,” Governor Ferguson said. “Thousands of Washingtonians worked for decades to bring us to this moment. They deserve recognition for this achievement. A month ago, the U.S. Secretary of Energy said behind closed doors that the federal government would back away from its obligation to bring this plant online. The united voices of workers, businesses and elected leaders made a difference. We made history today.”

“It’s pretty incredible to see this first-of-its-kind plant come online,” said Casey Sixkiller, director of the Washington State Department of Ecology. “Transforming this waste into glass offers the best protection for the environment and communities across the Pacific Northwest. It was a herculean effort to make this a reality, and I’m so proud of my team for all their work.”

The nuclear waste is being fed into a plant called the Low-Activity Waste Facility. It is one of the most unique and complex facilities in the world. Once inside, the waste goes through melters that turn it into glass – a highly stable material that can be safely stored for thousands of years.

For more than 25 years, Ecology has overseen the design, construction, environmental testing, and startup of the Low-Activity Waste Facility. Recently, Ecology issued a final operating permit and approval to Energy, authorizing waste treatment to begin after successful environmental testing. This permit ensures the plant’s operations are protective of human health and the environment, outlining the parameters at which the facility can safely operate.

The Washington State Department of Health issued eight radioactive air emissions licenses to ensure operations at the Waste Treatment Plant met all health and safety standards to protect Washington residents.

“These licenses affirm our ongoing commitment to protecting the health and safety of Washington communities,” Washington State Secretary of Health Dennis Worsham said. “As we move forward, we’ll continue to hold this work to the highest standards and partner closely with agencies and local leaders to ensure the cleanup is completed safely and responsibly for future generations.”

The Low-Activity Waste Facility is part of the larger Waste Treatment Plant at Hanford. Workers poured the first yard of concrete in June 2002, following more than a decade of planning by Ecology and Energy. The plant’s commissioning process began in 2023, as the first “melter” unit began to heat up to prepare for its eventual role turning waste into glass.

Now that hot commissioning has begun, Energy and its contractors will continue work to reach full operations at the plant over the next few months. As this process unfolds, Ecology will continue its regulatory oversight and issue its final permit for full operations. Treating all of Hanford’s tank waste will take decades and additional facilities and infrastructure.

Background

From World War II to the end of the Cold War, the Hanford Site produced more than 67 tons of plutonium for the nation’s nuclear stockpile, leaving behind one of the most contaminated, complex environmental cleanup efforts in the world. Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency oversee Energy’s cleanup of the Hanford Site, ensuring cleanup follows state and environmental laws, the Tri-Party Agreement that directs the cleanup work at the site, and a judicial consent decree, and various permits.

The site’s 56 million gallons of highly radioactive and hazardous waste, stored in 177 aging underground tanks, are a byproduct of plutonium production, and represent one of Hanford’s greatest threats to the environment, Columbia River, and nearby communities. Many of those tanks are assumed to have leaked, and three are actively leaking. More than 20 single-shell tanks had waste retrieved and moved to safer double-shell tanks for eventual treatment.

Low-activity waste vitrified at the Waste Treatment Plant will be permanently disposed of at the nearby Integrated Disposal Facility. Vitrification of high-level waste is expected to begin in 2033. That more dangerous, high-level waste will be disposed of at a licensed deep geologic repository that can safely store it for centuries.

Under an agreement finalized earlier this year, a portion of the site’s low-activity waste will be encapsulated in a grout form for offsite disposal.

Learn more

• wa.gov/Hanford
• Photos of the Low-Activity Waste Facility