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

March 4, 2021 – Federal program has paid former employees $20.3 million in compensation. Other claims are pending and still more workers are unaware of the program.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO_caWspN7E&t=3s
David Pyles says he lives on painkillers and moves with the help of a cane and walker. He worked for five years at the West Valley Demonstration Project, a failed experiment to process spent nuclear fuel.
“What we were doing was insane. We were dealing with so much radiation,” he told Investigative Post from his home in New Hampshire. Link to article

March 9, 2021 – EM is poised to build on recent achievements and launch a new era of progress, Acting Assistant Secretary William “Ike” White said Monday at the Waste Management Symposia 2021.

Speaking at the event held virtually this year, White said EM delivered on key priorities during 2020 while adhering to precautions and worker safety protections during the COVID‐19 pandemic. EM now is taking the next step.

“Today, EM is at the start of a new era, with a new Administration, and a new set of ambitious priorities for the year. And, hopefully, the start of a post‐pandemic world,” he said. Link to Update