The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), United States Navy
The Navy operates all nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers. The Navy is in charge of proper disposal of nuclear vessels that are no longer used. The nuclear fuel is removed from the reactor and sent to the Naval Reactors Facility in Idaho for processing. The nuclear reactor compartments are cut out, carefully sealed and taken to an approved disposal site. After the vessel's hazardous materials are properly removed and disposed of, the ships are stored at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. They are eventually cut up and the various metals are recycled.
For more information about the Naval Reactors Facility, please visit the Naval Nuclear Laboratory’s website.
For more information about submarines and aircraft carriers (surface ships), please visit the U.S. Navy's Fact Files.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Superfund Program
The EPA’s Superfund program is the federal government's hazardous waste cleanup program. Hanford, Washington, where contaminated nuclear vessel parts are housed, is a Superfund site. The EPA, the DOE, and the State of Washington developed an action plan addressing Superfund and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) issues at the Hanford site.
Clean-up Process
This site provides links that define the steps the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program takes to clean up contaminated sites.
Superfund Community Involvement
This webpage provides information on Superfund’s community involvement.
The States
Oregon’s Department of Energy works with the Navy to ensure the safe passage of barges carrying nuclear waste. Washington State’s Department of Ecology, Nuclear Waste Program works to oversee all Hanford nuclear waste activities.
Naval Nuclear Transport
Oregon Department of Energy
This webpage provides information on transport of decommissioned Naval nuclear reactors.
Nuclear Waste
State of Washington, Department of Ecology
This site provides information on the Hanford program and other Washington state Nuclear Waste programs.
