March 9, 2021 – William “Ike” White, the DOE’s acting assistant secretary for Environmental Management. Source: DOE
William “Ike” White, the Department of Energy’s acting assistant secretary for environmental management, helped open the 2021 Waste Management Symposia by announcing a new era for the department’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) and its cleanup mission. Speaking via live stream during the virtual meeting’s plenary session on March 8, White said, “Today, EM is at the start of a new era, with a new administration and a new set of priorities for
the year, and, hopefully, the start of a new post‐pandemic world.” Link to article

March 9, 2021 – Cleanup of the West Valley Demonstration Project has been going on for decades, but the Department of Energy has decided to demolish one of the site’s largest and most toxic buildings in July.

Activists warn if the proper safety measures are not taken at the Main Plant Process Building, just 30 miles south of Buffalo, there could be long term affects to those who live there.

“It’s potentially very dangerous to all of us in Western New York because of both the radioactivity and the hazardous material there,” explained Lynda Schneekloth, an advocate for the Sierra Club Niagara Group. Link to article

March 4, 2021 – Phil Gambini reported earlier this week about $20.3 million in settlements paid by the federal government to 59 former employees at the West Valley Demonstration Project. The workers had documented cases of cancer or other serious

illnesses related to their work at the facility. Other claims are pending and many former employees apparently are unaware of the compensation program. Phil discussed his story Wednesday with Jay Moran on WBFO. Link to article

March 2, 2021 – EM and cleanup contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) recently installed a long‐reach arm on an excavator for ease of access in the demolition of the Main Plant Process Building at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP).

The new arm extends the excavator’s reach from 50 feet to 86 feet, allowing the operator to get to the plant’s highest point of 79 feet. Crews also added a new tilt cab to the excavator to improve the operator’s view when performing highreach work. Link to article

March 3, 2021 – Tucked away in the hills of Cattaraugus County, a the former Nuclear Fuel Services reprocessing facility is generally out of‐sight and out‐of‐mind for most Western New Yorkers. It’s a different story for those who worked there. Opened in 1966, the facility handled over 630 tons of radioactive fuel during its short life. Phil Gambini of Investigative Post has taken a closer look at how workers have been impacted and how they could be helped. Link to article