In the News

Below are articles and other news published since the last West Valley Citizen Task Force Meeting. They relate to the West Valley Demonstration Project, nuclear waste cleanup or are otherwise relevant or of potential interest to stakeholders interested in the Project. After each Citizen Task Force Meeting, these articles are compiled into a single document and may be found with the meeting materials for that month.

Springville Journal – Pfeffer takes over as new Town of Ashford Supervisor

January 16, 2020 – Growing up in the Town of Ashford and serving on the town board for years, John Pfeffer will now be taking on a new challenge as the new town supervisor. Pfeffer was sworn in as Ashford Town Supervisor at the Jan. 8 Ashford Town Board meeting, replacing former supervisor Charles Davis.

Along with serving as a councilman in Ashford, Pfeffer has been a volunteer member of the West Valley Citizens Task Force since 1997, been a member of the Energy Communities Alliance and serves an EMT and volunteer firefighter for the West Valley Volunteer Hose Company. As Pfeffer settles into his new position, he has started working with other officials in the town and planning new ways to help move the town forward. Link to article

DOE EM Update – West Valley Safely Prepares Spent Fuel Facility for Eventual Demolition

January 14, 2020 – An EM crew recently finished deactivating a facility at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) Site after safely removing asbestos-containing material.

Piping and insulation inside the former fuel receiving and storage facility contained the material that needed to be removed to prepare for eventual demolition. Workers pulled out 700 feet of piping — equivalent in length to about 17 school buses end to end — over five months. Link to Update

Buffalo News Editorial – Working together, Higgins and Reed serve residents threatened by West Valley

December 28, 2019 – It is unusual these days to witness any kind of bipartisan effort among legislators, especially those in Washington. Such cooperation often seems a relic of some forgotten – or mythical – past.

So, when two congressional representatives from this area worked across the aisle to fund nuclear cleanup work at the beleaguered West Valley Demonstration Project, it offered encouragement that even in a divisive time, public officials are able to put aside political differences in service of the common good. Link to Editorial

Buffalo News – WNY fares well in congressional spending bills

December 23, 2019 – …The West Valley Demonstration Project, a nuclear waste treatment site in Cattaraugus County, won $75.2 million in funding, up from $75 million in 2019 and up significantly from the mid-2010s, when it received only about $60 million annually. Link to article

Springville/Ellicottville Pennysaver & News – West Valley safely demolishes former Chemical Process Cell Storage Building

December 21, 2019 – EM and its prime contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV), recently demolished the Chemical Process Cell-Waste Storage Area (CPC-WSA) at the West Valley Demonstration Project.

The galvanized sheet metal arched structure was installed in 1996 to replace the original sprung tent structure that reached its end of life. This brings the total number of surplus buildings removed from the site to 65, with 44 structures removed under the CHBWV contract. Link to article