(Washington,
D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) spoke at the Hazardous
Materials Management and Emergency Response (HAMMER) Steering Committee meeting
in Washington, D.C. Murray spoke about her fight to secure funding for
the HAMMER training facility over the years, and how the facility is more
important now than ever before as thousands of new workers join the Hanford
community.
“The
HAMMER training and education center is a first-rate facility that keeps
Hanford workers and members of our National Guard safe and has played an
integral role in preparing workers and emergency responders for high-risk tasks
and the use of new technologies,” said Senator Patty Murray. “It’s
an extremely high priority for me, and I’ve worked hard over the years to
ensure it gets the support it needs from the federal government to continue
doing its great work.”
Also
attending the meeting was Assistant Secretary of Energy Ines Triay, AFL-CIO
President Richard Trumka, Gary Peterson, from TRIDEC, Patrick Finley, chairman
of the steering committee, and other members of the HAMMER steering committee.
“Our community and workers are fortunate to have Senator Murray
fighting to maintain HAMMER funding that in turn makes Hanford a safe place to
work,” said Gary Petersen, TRIDEC. “She also
supports National Guard Civil Support training at HAMMER which continues to be
important to everyone in the State. Senator Murray received a standing ovation
today in recognition of her exceptional support for HAMMER and worker safety
over the past 16 plus years.”
Some
additional excerpts from Senator Murray’s speech:
“You
all do such great work making HAMMER one of the top facilities in the country
dedicated to reducing health and safety risks to workers, emergency responders,
and the public.And I truly appreciate your commitment and dedication.”
“I’m
so pleased that this year, with the newly-renegotiated Mission Support contract,
funding for HAMMER is now a part of programmatic accounts that the
Administration budgets for. Because in this tough budget climate, having
this when it comes to funding is so critical.”
“And
we can’t stop fighting now—because HAMMER’s work is more important now than
ever before. With billions of dollars in much needed recovery funding
coming to support the Hanford cleanup, thousands of new employees will need the
safety and emergency training that HAMMER offers.”
“I
want to tell you about a young man named Ty Rose I met at HAMMER when I visited
last month. Ty served our country in Iraq, but had trouble finding a job when
he got home in this tough economy. Fortunately, recovery funding allowed
him to secure a job at the Hanford site—putting his leadership skills to work
helping the community….These new jobs are exactly why I fought to include money
for Hanford in the Recovery package, and why I will continue working until
families, communities, and businesses in Washington state and across the country
have truly recovered from these tough economic conditions.”
“I’m
going to continue working with the Administration to make sure HAMMER, Hanford,
and the entire Tri-Cities community have the resources they to continue
growing.”
“Workers
ought to be able to feel confident that while they’re working hard and doing
their jobs, their employers are doing everything possible to keep them
safe.”
“And
that’s exactly why I pledge to you that I will continue fighting for
HAMMER. Because there are going to be more new workers like Ty.
More people who need training. Who need to be kept safe. And I am going
to keep fighting alongside all of you to make sure the resources you need to do
that are there for you.”
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