September 7, 2021 – The West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) continues to prepare for the future teardown of the Main Plant Process Building. Beginning demolition of the facility this year is among EM’s ambitious 2021 priorities.

With 98% of the building’s contamination removed over the past two decades, crews with WVDP cleanup contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley will address 30% of the remaining contamination embedded in the building’s concrete in the next several months. Any contamination left will be fixed in place and carefully removed during deconstruction of the Main Plant. Link to Update

September 14, 2021 – The West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) recently conducted a graduation ceremony for three security police officers who completed a seven‐week security training course through a first‐time partnership with the local sheriff’s office.

The officers, Travis Radomski, Gregory Jacobs, and Tage Soderlund, would normally take the course at DOE’s National Training Center (NTC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. However, there was no space available for them at the center’s basic security police officer training course this year due to a large number of new recruits from across the DOE complex requiring training. Link to Update

September 1, 2021 – This workshop features Patricia K. Townsend, Ph. D. From her perspective as a social scientist, Dr. Townsend will review highlights of public participation during the six decades of the West Valley nuclear site that had varying degrees of success in making us all safer from dangerous radiation.

Individuals from many walks of life brought their different skills to bear on the challenging decisions of how to proceed in the work of remediating the highly polluted site. Some of those you have heard during this series of programs have been engaged for more than 40 years, others have a newly acquired passion for activism to help protect the Great Lakes region for our descendants. Link to article

September 2, 2021 – More than 100 Cattaraugus County residents who were fully vaccinated against COVID‐19 have contracted the coronavirus — they are known as breakthrough cases.

Dr. Kevin D. Watkins, the county’s public health director, told members of the Board of Health on Wednesday that 113 people, or 0.35% who are fully vaccinated, and 61, or 0.18% of people who had just one shot, have tested positive for COVID‐19. Link to article

August 31, 2021 – Activist concerns notwithstanding, federal officials are sticking with their plan to demolish a highly radioactive building at the West Valley Demonstration Project.

Despite the calls from residents, activists and experts, “no major amendments” have been
made to the plan, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Energy, Joseph
Pillitere.

Officials maintain sufficient safety procedures are in place. Link to article