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8th District lawmakers tour
House Speaker, Capitol Budget chair, other legislators through
Tri-Cities
House Speaker Frank Chopp,
D-Seattle, House Capital Budget Chairman Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, and
several other state lawmakers are being accompanied today by 8th
District Reps. Shirley Hankins and Larry Haler on a tour of several
major facilities in the Tri-Cities.
"We’re bringing them here
to show them how very important our local projects are, not only for the
district, but for the state," said Hankins, R-Richland. "The Speaker and
the Capital Budget Committee chairman ultimately will decide which
projects move forward statewide and the agenda into the future. We
believe it is important for this group to understand why we truly need
to do these programs."
"Representative Hankins and I are proud of what our district has
accomplished," said Haler, R-Richland. "We’re very excited about what
the future holds for our area as well. Today is about making sure the
legislative leaders from outside our area see those same opportunities."
Arriving at just after 7
a.m., the group went directly to the Hanford Site where it toured the
Bechtel vitrification plant. The $5 billion project is a major component
in the Hanford clean-up process.
"This is an extremely
important program for the state. We want Speaker Chopp and other
lawmakers from around the state to understand how this will work –
containing radioactive waste in glass. We also want them to know how
safe it will be once the waste is contained through this process," said
Hankins.
At 10:30 a.m., the group
tours the HAMMER (Hazardous Materials Management and Response) training
facility, where Hankins and Haler will make the case to expand the
program to allow for training of law enforcement officers and firemen.
The group of lawmakers,
which also includes House Republican Deputy Leader Mike Armstrong,
R-Wenatchee, Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Anacortes, Rep. Bill Grant, R-Walla
Walla, and Rep. Maureen Walsh, R-Walla Walla, will lunch at the Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland. During the luncheon,
the group will hear about the partnership between PNNL and the
Washington State University Tri-Cities branch campus, which together
plan to build a biotech research facility at the branch campus. Hankins
said there’s a one-time opportunity for the state to obtain matching
federal funds if the building is constructed next year.
"If we don’t take
advantage of this, that money will go to four other states instead. We
have the opportunity to create a strong and workable connection with
PNNL. This project would put the latest state-of-the-art biotech
instruments and programs within that building. It would utilize more
than 900 PNNL PhDs who could teach our students and promote biotech
research in our state," added Hankins.
At 1:30 p.m., the group
will be briefed by Richland city officials about the need to expand the
city’s infrastructure to support expansion of the PNNL campus.
"The city of Richland has
a capital budget request of nearly $6.5 million for additional sewer
lines to support an expansion of PNNL," said Haler, former mayor of
Richland. "This is a very important project for our local community. I’m
very pleased that we will be able to show the Speaker and the Capital
Budget chairman the need for this project firsthand while they are here
in Richland."
Also included on the day’s
schedule is a driving tour of the 300 area on the Hanford Site and a
meeting with Paul Rosier of the Kennewick School District, who will
describe the district’s early reading program. Hankins and Haler say the
program is very successful for young children and should be used as a
model for the remainder of the state.
In addition to state
lawmakers, others on the tour include: Mike Lawrence, deputy director
for campus development, PNNL; Mike Kluse, associate laboratory director
and national security directorate, PNNL; Mike Talbot, communications
manager, PNSO; Diahann Howard, Economic Development Manager, City of
Richland; Larry James, chancellor, Washington State University
Tri-Cities, and Keith Kline, manager, Department of Energy-RL.
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For more information, contact:
Brendon Wold, Public
Information Officer: (360) 786-7698
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