2009: "Clean-up First" Victory! After many years of persistent pressure from Heart of America Northwest and the public, principles of "Clean-up First" were included in the Hanford Clean-up Agreement proposal. The proposal stated, Hanford's preferred alternative will be to not import offsite waste to Hanford until existing Waste Treatment Facilities are ready.

2008: Heart of America Northwest secures assurances from the state of Washington that it will use existing authority to ensure Hanford’s wastes are cleaned up before more are added.

Also in 2008, we received the “Best Regional Environmental Group” by the Spokane Environmental & Peace Community.

2007: Heart of America Northwest leads region’s opposition to the “Global Nuclear Energy Partnership” (“GNEP”) plan to reprocess spent nuclear fuel, creating more of the highly radioactive wastes currently stored in Hanford’s High Level Nuclear Waste Tanks. National Academy of Science and the Government Accounting Office issue reports critical of GNEP, adding strength to criticisms of national coalition opposed to GNEP.

2006: Heart of America Northwest report documents leaks not previously acknowledged by USDOE, directing greater public attention to the threats that leaking high level radioactive wastes pose to the Columbia River and public health.

2005: Work begins to drill a hole in the reactor core of the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) eliminating any possibility of restart of the last reactor constructed at Hanford and bringing a victorious end to the many years of Heart of America Northwest advocacy to shut down the FFTF reactor down and restore the $42 million spent on “hot standby” each year to the Hanford cleanup budget.

2004: Initiative 297 passes with 69.09% of the vote, establishing a mandate from the citizens of Washington for Hanford cleanup and protection of the Columbia River. The state of Washington ends dumping of waste in unlined burial grounds at Hanford in response to public outcry generated by Heart of America Northwest’s research and outreach efforts.

2003: Heart of America Northwest research and legal work wins federal court injunction against the U.S. Department of Energy trucking highly radioactive Plutonium wastes to Hanford (called "Remote Handled TRU"). Co-Plaintiffs include Washington State, Sierra Club, Columbia Riverkeeper, WPSR.

2002: A groundbreaking report researched by Heart of America Northwest Executive Director Gerry Pollet is released by the Hanford Joint Council for Employee Concerns documenting numerous violations of federal health and safety standards for exposure to deadly Beryllium at Hanford, and failure to provide medical support to exposed workers.

Also in 2002, WPSR awarded the Heart of America Northwest staff for their “tireless efforts to close FFTF as their work to clean-up the Hanford Nuclear Reservation for generations to come”.

2000: Heart of America Northwest research reveals that USDOE offsite generators have disposed of hazardous wastes in Hanford's Low Level Waste only Burial Grounds, demonstrating a long history of waste mismanagement. Hanford Advisory Board advises investigation but DOE continues to bury waste from other weapons, plants, and labs.

1999: Heart of America Northwest notifies USEPA that there is a burial ground laden with hazardous waste and carcinogenic material right near the Columbia River in . It was not covered or effectively fenced off from the public, representing an imminent hazard to the public. Upon notification, USEPA begins investigation of the matter.

1997: Heart of America Northwest investigation proves explosion at Hanford's Plutonium Finishing Plant released Plutonium and exposed workers to cloud of toxic chemicals. Department of Energy and Hanford contractors are forced to admit they lied to workers and the public.

1995: Heart of America Northwest and Columbia River United negotiate charter for creation of an independent Hanford Advisory Board with USDOE, the nation's first broad based, independent advisory board for cleanup of a nuclear weapons production site. Heart of America Northwest research and Freedom of Information Act requests are basis for US Congressman Ron Wyden (D-OR, later US senator) exposing that $453 million in "clean-up" funds were actually used for Westinghouse Hanford contractor "overhead". Continuous oversight by Heart of America Northwest leads to 1998 legislation by Representative Adam Smith (D-WA) and Senator Ron Wyden to cut overhead costs paid to Hanford contractors, thus freeing up hundreds of millions of dollars to be used for real clean-up work.

1994: Heart of America Northwest demands an extensive study of the Department of Energy's planned restart of the unsafe Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP). Two months later the Energy Department ends the plant's defense mission. Because of Heart of America Northwest’s work, the plant is not in operation when an explosion rocks the building in 1997.

1990: Heart of America Northwest research reveals that the Department of Energy plans to use clean up funds to restart the Plutonium-Uranium Extraction Plant (PUREX). Congress orders that PUREX not be restarted.

1988: Heart of America Northwest creates the "Hanford Clean-Up Task Force", the first broad-based regional effort to bring together the states of Washington and Oregon, business leaders, agriculture, tribes, labor and environmental leaders to propose a regional solution for cleaning up Hanford and create a united regional lobby for clean-up. The task force is sponsored by both Governors and many members of congress (but not representatives from Tri-Cities, who said discussing clean-up "is like dragging a dead skunk through town"-site source). The task force report is first blueprint for a 30 year clean-up timeline, which became timeline in 1989 Hanford Clean-up Agreement. Heart of America Northwest lobbies for and wins a 42% increase in Hanford clean up funds.

1986: Executive Director Gerald Pollet writes Referendum 40, requiring a public vote before Hanford can become the nation's high-level nuclear waste dump. Referendum 40 passes with 84% of the vote.