To expedite removal of a key radioactive threat close to the Columbia River, the U.S. Energy Dept. hopes to dismantle a long-dormant nuclear reactor at the Hanford nuclear-waste site in Washington state with robotic technology instead of “cocooning” the structure for long-term storage, as has been done with five similar structures at the site.

The multistory, 50,000-sq-ft K-East Reactor, which houses 240,000 graphite blocks that make up the reactor core, is a special case because of soil contamination around and under the structure, says Tom Teynor, DOE project director for the reactor. The agency and its contractors are testing new technology that makes robotic removal of the graphite a plausible option, he says. If all goes well, the approach could be used at other DOE sites nationwide. DOE, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Dept. of Ecology—all party to the cleanup agreement at Hanford—are seeking public comment on the approach until Nov. 17. DOE officials, however, will make the final decision on whether or not it is used.