The last and largest of nine defunct nuclear reactors once used for weapons production at the U.S. Energy Dept.'s huge Hanford site in Washington state has been placed in safe storage, or "cocooned," so its remaining high radioactivity can safely decay, the agency said on June 14.
The new status for the site's N Reactor follows a $65-million cleanup and demolition project, which included demolishing the 85,450-sq-ft building to its shield walls.