"A senior Democrat wants the Energy Department (DOE) to explain how it will address problems described in a new inspector general report that criticizes DOE’s oversight of a major nuclear waste treatment plant that’s under construction in Washington State."

"Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), in a letter Thursday, presses Energy Secretary Moniz to describe how he will tackle longstanding problems at the Hanford nuclear site.

The DOE’s inspector general, in a new report, said engineering and construction giant Bechtel has failed to ensure the safety of equipment manufactured for the $12.2 billion nuclear waste treatment plant it’s building. The report also knocks DOE’s management of the topic."

Ben Geman reports for The Hill's E2 Wire October 3, 2013. [2]