PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – An Oregon-based nonprofit filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Energy, claiming the department is not being transparent with potential plans to develop the Hanford Site in Washington.

Columbia Riverkeeper, a non-profit aiming to protect and restore the Columbia River, filed the lawsuit Monday in the United States District Court in Portland, asking the court to force the Energy Department to release public records about potential development plans at the site.

According to Columbia Riverkeeper, the potential plans "could undermine cleanup at the most toxic place in America."

In the lawsuit, Columbia Riverkeeper alleges the department violated the Freedom of Information Act by failing to produce documents on the department’s Cleanup to Clean Energy Initiative at the Hanford Site.

The initiative proposes leasing 19,000 acres at the site for clean energy development, including new nuclear-energy infrastructure, according to the non-profit.

Columbia Riverkeeper explained that the 586-square mile Hanford Site is a legacy of World War II and the Cold War, noting that in 1943, the federal government selected the site for the Manhattan Project, where plutonium was enriched for nuclear weapons.

The nonprofit said for decades, the federal government stored radioactive and toxic waste in underground tanks or dumped pollution into the ground, adding that the Energy Department is responsible for the nuclear cleanup.

“The Trump administration has slashed funding for Hanford cleanup, threatening to undermine critical efforts to restore the land and waters at and around Hanford,” said Simone Anter, senior attorney & Hanford program director for Columbia Riverkeeper. “This tumultuous moment requires staunch attention to cleanup and the people who depend on a clean Columbia River, the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest, not new development that could potentially increase our nuclear-waste burden.”

Columbia Riverkeeper says the organization filed a Freedom of Information Act request in June 2024, looking for documents related to the department’s initiative at Hanford.

The nonprofit says under the Biden administration, the department’s FOIA officer tried to clarify the scope of the request, however the department never unveiled documents and never set a deadline for when they would complete Columbia Riverkeeper’s request.

That inaction is in violation of FOIA, Columbia Riverkeeper argues, noting the law requires agencies to determine within 20 days whether they will comply with information requests.

“FOIA requires transparency from our federal agencies, and it codifies a national policy in favor of disclosure of government records,” said Jamie Saul, Executive Director of the Wild & Scenic Law Center, who is representing Columbia Riverkeeper in this case. “Energy’s unlawful delay in responding to Columbia Riverkeeper’s valid FOIA request undermines that policy and prevents the public from learning about important government decisions related to the Hanford Site.”

“When it comes to government transparency and the Hanford Nuclear Site, the stakes couldn’t be higher for people who rely on the Columbia,” said Anter. “The public should not be kept in the dark about potential plans to redevelop an area where the U.S. government’s legally-binding mission is cleanup.” 

KOIN 6 News has reached out to the U.S. Department of Energy. This story will be updated if we receive a response.