March 19, 2021 – … Richard D. Johnson, 54, of Hopewell, Va., was charged at 10 a.m. Monday with fourth‐degree criminal possession of a handgun, a class A misdemeanor. The charge stems from a search of a tractor‐trailer at the West Valley Demonstration Project by the West Valley Protective Force Security Police, during which officers allegedly discovered an unregistered handgun. Johnson was turned over to the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office, processed and released with a ticket to appear in court at a later date. Link to article

March 18, 2021 – The Ashford Town Board, at its March 10 meeting, heard updates from New York State Energy Research and Development Agency West Valley Program Director Paul Bembia regarding upcoming culvert repairs and the solar farm project.

Bembia reported culvert repair will take place on Rock Springs Road this year by the Cattaraugus County Department of Public Works through NYSERDA property. Regarding the solar farm project on the West Valley Nuclear Site property, Bembia reported NYSERDA has completed the process for the solar farm and all aspects moving forward would need to be addressed by TOA, attorneys or the solar company. Construction on the solar farm project is planned to start in the spring. Link to article

March 17, 2021 – EM’s annual Mission and Priorities list sets a clear path to success across the DOE complex, site managers said last week at the Waste Management Symposia 2021.

The Mission and Priorities list “gives real, actionable goals and demonstrates to all stakeholders that EM wants to make progress,” EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Todd Shrader said in leading a panel discussion on the newly released 2021 priorities.

Shrader joined West Valley Demonstration Project Director Bryan Bower, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Manager Jay Mullis, Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office Manager Robert Edwards, and Carlsbad Field Office Manager Reinhard Knerr for a discussion on how EM sites view the priorities. Link to article

March 11, 2021 – The groups behind an 80‐mile multi‐use trail to connect Buffalo to Hinsdale have released a feasibility study detailing the proposal. The feasibility study, released by Gobike Buffalo, looks at preferred routes for the Southern Tier Trail – divided into 23 sections – and cost estimates for the work. It also notes alternative routes for cases where there could be public opposition or problems.

… The study recognized opposition in some sections as it passes by the backyards to some homes. Within the study are thoughts for creating privacy with fences or potentially moving the trail to the roadway. Another local section that may have obstacles is the Concord/Ashford Railroad Corridor due to the right‐of‐way constraints in the vicinity of the West Valley Nuclear Site. The West Valley Demonstration Project nuclear and waste storage site has also identified the Buffalo Pittsburg tracks heading south from the site to Ellicottville and beyond as potential for future waste transport. Link to article

March 9, 2021 – The Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Monday released its Calendar Year 2021 Mission and Priorities, a key marker to the program’s continuing success in addressing the legacy of nuclear weapons production and government‐sponsored nuclear energy research.

The Calendar Year 2021 Mission and Priorities outlines a new list of specific planned accomplishments across the cleanup complex for the coming year. Built on significant achievements in 2020, the Calendar Year 2021 Mission and Priorities marks a new era for EM that will continue progress in addressing environmental risks and financial liabilities, while advancing EM’s obligations to the communities that played such an important role in U.S. security and prosperity. Link to article