Hanford contractor to lay off 435 as its contract ends


















RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) -- Washington Closure Hanford will lay off its remaining 435 workers starting in July as its U.S. Department of Energy contract comes to an end.

The contractor notified the state of the pending layoffs Tuesday, as required under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.

Of the 435 workers to be laid off, about 200 will transfer to another cleanup contractor

Washington Closure once had more than 1,200 workers, but started finishing projects and reducing staff about five years ago.

The Tri-City Herald reports that Washington Closure had contracts to do much of the cleanup work along the Columbia River on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Hanford for decades made plutonium for nuclear weapons.