House Bill 2634 declares the state-operated commercial low-level radioactive waste disposal facility on the Hanford reservation to be a leaking, unlined soil landfill releasing chemical and radioactive contamination that reaches groundwater flowing toward the Columbia River, and it establishes a statutory framework requiring new investigation, monitoring, and remediation for hazardous substance releases from that facility. The bill adds new sections to multiple RCW chapters and amends existing provisions to require the state (and liable parties) to follow model toxics control act (MTCA) standards, to apply tribal exposure scenarios approved by impacted federally recognized tribes, and to treat responsible corporations, persons, and entities as liable under joint, several, and strict liability consistent with MTCA and CERCLA. The department director must propose a remediation plan by July 1, 2029, subject to a tribe-concurred extension of up to two years, and the plan must be accompanied by an environmental impact statement and may require removal or stabilization of wastes including all high-level radioactive waste as defined in federal law. The bill makes multiple procedural and fiscal changes: it creates a model toxics control operating account and dedicates uses and a one-percent public participation allocation (from RCW 82.21.030) for grants and public engagement, requires at least a 90-day public comment period and no fewer than five public meetings (with at least two in collaboration with Oregon if requested), directs the Department of Ecology director to impose a $6.50 per cubic foot generator fee plus an additional generator fee to fund the investigation/remediation and deposit those fees into the new account, and prohibits issuing permits or approvals for any new nuclear reactor or municipal financing for new reactor development until the required investigation, remediation plan, and EIS are completed and either the site is remediated to protective standards or an alternative lined disposal facility is available. The bill also directs Washington’s representative to the interstate low-level radioactive waste compact committee to vote to restrict acceptance of waste from new reactors until these conditions are met. Some important details are not fully available in the extracted text: the specific identity of "the department" named in section 2 is not explicitly stated here; the precise statutory language of the amendments to RCW 70A.305.180, 70A.380.020, and 70A.384.110 is not included; definitions for terms referenced (for example the formal definition of the "commercial low-level radioactive waste disposal facility" and "tribal exposure scenario") and the remainder of subsection (4) in one section are missing from the provided excerpts.

If enacted, the state would move toward a full investigation and cleanup of the leaking, unlined low‑level radioactive waste landfill at Hanford with a publicly reviewed remediation plan and environmental impact statement due by July 1, 2029 (potentially extendable to 2031 with tribal agreement). Tribes would have a stronger role: cleanup decisions must use tribal exposure scenarios, tribes can formally join the response through agreements, and tribal health risks must be analyzed; the public would get at least 90 days to comment and multiple public meetings, including coordination with Oregon if requested. New permits, approvals, or municipal financing for any new commercial nuclear reactors would be blocked until the investigation, EIS, and remediation plan are completed and either the site is remediated to protective standards or an alternative lined facility is available. The practical financial effect is that generators of radioactive waste would face new per‑cubic‑foot fees ($6.50/ft3 plus an additional surcharge sized to fund the investigation, EIS, and cleanup unless liable parties pay) deposited into a new model toxics control operating account that also funds public participation grants. The bill signals that operators, generators, and other liable parties—not taxpayers—are expected to shoulder investigation and remediation costs under joint and several liability, and Washington’s representative to the regional compact would be required to oppose accepting waste from new reactors until these conditions are met. Important implementation details are unclear from the provided text—most notably which specific state department is assigned the investigation duties in section 2 and the precise language of some amendments and fee mechanics—so the timing, exact fee levels, and enforcement mechanisms could change as the missing provisions are finalized.