Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) - Pacific ...
Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) - Pacific ...
Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) - Pacific ...
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The total annual average number of DOE contractor employees has declined by nearly 7,600<br />
since FY 1994 when employment peaked at 19,200 employees, but DOE contractor employment still<br />
represents 11 percent of the total jobs in the economy. Total employment in the Richland,<br />
Kennewick, and Pasco metropolitan statistical area averaged 106,100 per month during 2006, down<br />
from 107,700 in 2005 (LMEA 2007a).<br />
Based on employee records as of April 2007, over 90 percent of DOE contractor employees live<br />
in Benton and Franklin counties. Approximately 73 percent reside in Richland, Pasco, or Kennewick.<br />
More than 36 percent are Richland residents, 11 percent are Pasco residents, and 25 percent live in<br />
Kennewick. Residents of other areas of Benton and Franklin counties, including West Richland,<br />
Benton City, and Prosser, account for about 17 percent of total DOE contractor employment.<br />
4.7.1.2 Energy Northwest<br />
Energy Northwest is a joint operating agency comprising 20 member public utilities from across<br />
the state of Washington. Energy Northwest provides electricity, at cost, to public utilities and<br />
municipalities in the northwest and operates four electricity generating stations: Columbia Generating<br />
Station, Packwood Lake Hydroelectric Project, Nine Canyon Wind Project, and the White Bluffs<br />
Solar Station. Although commercial nuclear power plant construction activity ceased with the<br />
completion of the 1,157-megawatt (MW) WNP-2 nuclear reactor (now named Columbia Generating<br />
Station) during 1983, Energy Northwest continues to be a major employer in the Tri-Cities area.<br />
Nuclear power plants WNP-1 and WNP-4 were never completed. The unfinished facilities have been<br />
partially remediated with some structures being reused for support and business purposes. As part of<br />
an effort to reduce electricity production costs, Energy Northwest headquarters decreased the size of<br />
its total workforce from over 1,900 during 1994 to 1,016 at the end of 1999. Total permanent<br />
employment at the end of 2006 was 1,079 people. Based on annual payroll and employee counts,<br />
Energy Northwest delivers more than $200 million in economic impact to the local economy.<br />
4.7.1.3 Agriculture<br />
During 2005, over 10 percent of workers in Benton and Franklin counties were employed in<br />
agriculture. The total agricultural employment was 10,750, a decrease from the 2004 total of 11,200<br />
(LMEA 2007b). Seasonal farm workers are not included in that total but are estimated by the U.S.<br />
Department of Labor (DOL) for the agricultural areas in the state of Washington. During 2006, the<br />
number of seasonal farm workers averaged 5,313 in Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla counties,<br />
ranging from 826 workers during the winter pruning season to 11,984 workers at the peak of harvest.<br />
An estimated average of 2,950 seasonal workers were classified as local (ranging from 519 to 7,366).<br />
An average of 15 workers were classified as intrastate, 217 interstate, 585 foreign, and 1,550 as<br />
unknown origin. The weighted seasonal wage for 2006 ranged from $7.62/hr to $7.95/hr, with an<br />
average wage of $7.75/hr (DOL 2007).<br />
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Regional Economic Information System<br />
(REIS), 2,187 people were classified as farm proprietors in Benton and Franklin counties during<br />
2005. Total farm proprietors’ income, according to this same source, was estimated to be $17.3<br />
million (DOC 2007).<br />
4.139