Olean Times Herald, November 7, 2023

WEST VALLEY — The workforce at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) completed its annual Food Drive on Thursday as part of its continued commitment to the community.

This year’s food drive collected more than 10,800 meals worth of food – enough to provide turkeys, holiday items and staples for nine food pantries

“This annual tradition began in 1989, and has been held every year since then,” said Joseph Pillittere, CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) Food Drive Coordinator. “In total, the WVDP Food Drive has collected more than 2.3 million pounds of food since its inception.”

On Friday, more than 30 volunteers delivered hundreds of cases of food and 180 turkeys to the following food pantries: Fellowship Hill Ministries in Springville; Delevan Methodist Church; Catholic Charities Outreach in Franklinville; Saving Grace OutReach in Cattaraugus; Master’s Plan in Dayton; United Church of Christ in Ellicottville; Concord Food Pantry; Little Valley Baptist Church; and the West Valley Food Pantry.

“It comes down to one thing that makes this food drive successful: the generosity of our employees, partners and subcontractors,” Pillittere said. “It demonstrates the positive impact that kindness can have on a community.”

A special thank you goes out to the following employees and members of supporting businesses and organizations: CHBWV, U.S. Department of Energy, and New York State Energy Research & Development Authority employees; International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Lodge 2401; American DND; Butler Construction; MJW Corporation; Container Products Corporation; Encorus Group Engineering; InTomes; Sander’s Parkview Supermarket; and EnergySolutions. Every year during the holiday season, resources get spread thin and the needs in the community increase. Community support from the WVDP Food Drive helps to meet those needs that may have gone unmet during the holiday season.

EM Update, October 31, 2023

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. – EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jeff Avery visited the West Valley Demonstration Project last week to observe cleanup progress and meet with employees and key community stakeholders.

A highlight of his trip was an event to celebrate West Valley prime contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) recently receiving the DOE Voluntary Protection Program’s (VPP) Star of Excellence.

Read the full article here.

Olean Times Herald, October 26, 2023

LITTLE VALLEY — Cattaraugus County lawmakers voted Wednesday to extend the terms of an $800,000 contribution to a sewer line extension to Allegany Crossing to Dec. 31.

Legislators also approved a $350,000 contract with CH2MHill, the West Valley Demonstration Project contractor, for law enforcement security at the nuclear cleanup site in Ashford. The contract, which includes a deputy at all times at the site, runs through Sept. 30, 2024.

MINNPOST, October 25, 2023

Minnesota has a deadline to meet. By 2040, a mandate signed earlier this year requires all of the state’s energy generation to come from carbon‐free sources. Renewables like wind, hydro, and solar are part of that path forward, but industry experts say a steady source of baseload energy production will likely be needed to offset their inevitable intermittency. In other countries, carbon‐free baseload production has often come from nuclear power.

Hoping to gain a better understanding of nuclear — its potential and its problems — Project Optimist sat down with Xcel Energy President Chris Clark (whose company operates the only nuclear plants in the state of Minnesota), well‐qualified academics, and advocates representing both sides of the issue.

Read the full article here.

October 24, 2023 — EM Update

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. – EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) recently held a graduation ceremony for six security police officers who completed a seven‐week course through a unique partnership with the local sheriff’s office.

Normally, the officers take the course at DOE’s National Training Center (NTC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

However, in 2021 the WVDP management team — which consisted of representatives from EM, its cleanup contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV), and security subcontractor Paragon Energy — developed a plan for the officers to be trained by instructors from Paragon and the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office using sheriff’s office facilities. The training plan was approved by the NTC.

Read the full article here.