February 13, 2009 By Elaine Rundle
Photo: Hanford Weapons Site, Washington state: Nuclear operator works above underwater fuel handling table to clean fuel.
The national stimulus package that was approved by Congress on Wednesday includes nearly $6 billion to aid in cleaning up Cold War-era nuclear weapons sites.
According to The Seattle Times, one-third of the funding is expected to be spent on cleaning up the Hanford Site -- the U.S.'s most contaminated nuclear area -- located in southeast Washington state.
According to the newspaper, the funding includes $483 million for nondefense cleanup, like laboratories, and $390 million would be allocated to uranium-enrichment programs.
"This has been a top priority for me because it fits the bill of what President Obama wanted, which is to create jobs in the short term and to better our country in the future," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash, in the article. "This will create literally thousands of jobs at the site and help to reduce the footprint of [nuclear] sites around the country."
Video: GT's Andy Opsahl reports on how a California municipal utility built a solar energy farm at the site of a decommissioned nuclear power plant.
This Digital Communities white paper highlights discussions with IT officials in four counties that have adopted shared services models. Our aim was to learn about the obstacles these governments have faced when it comes to shared services and what it takes to overcome those roadblocks. We also spoke with several members of the IT industry who have thought long and hard about these issues. The paper offers some best practices for shared government-to-government services, but also points out challenges that government and industry still must overcome before this model gains widespread adoption.
Don't miss this opportunity to see the latest in digital government solutions, keep abreast of current policy issues and network with key government executives, technologists and industry specialists.
Digital Communities News In Your Inbox
Subscribe to Digital Communities
Digital Communities (DC) is e.Republic‘s local government program. The particular strength of DC is its focus on encouraging collaboration and creating productive relationships between and among cities, counties, regions and select private sector companies uniquely positioned to help improve the delivery of public services.
Subscribe | View Digital Issue