October 10, 2019 – The Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management and the cleanup contractor at the West Valley Demonstration Project recently conducted a full-scale security exercise.

The drill included the contractor, CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, and the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Department, Cattaraugus County Special Response Team, Cattaraugus-Chautauqua Bomb Squad, West Valley Volunteer Hose Fire and Rescue, with evaluation assistance from Cattaraugus County Emergency Services. Link to article

October 8, 2019 –

Safety Award: At EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project Site, Dae Chung, EM Deputy Assistant Secretary for Safety, Security, and Quality Assurance, presented employees with contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley with the Star of Excellence award during a recent visit to the site.

“The safety and health of our employees, both contractor and federal, are the highest priorities for the Department,”Chung said. See page 1 of update

Agencyʹs Reuse of Equipment: EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) Site will achieve $1 million in savings by transferring cleanup equipment for reuse by a U.S. agency that operates facilities on the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

The transfer allows WVDP to avoid the time and expense of disposing of the equipment as waste. West Valley crews had used the equipment to lift and move 86.5-ton concrete casks containing waste canisters in a project vitrified high-level waste from the site’s Main Plant Process Building to an onsite interim storage pad, a necessary step to support the building’s eventual demolition. See page 2 of update

October 1, 2019 – Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar recently viewed EM’s cleanup progress at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) and received updates on the planned demolition of the site’s Main Plant Process Building, which was used to reprocess spent nuclear fuel decades ago. “This was my first trip to the West Valley site,” Dabbar said. “I am impressed by the progress I see being made.” He noted that removal of the 10,000-square-foot Vitrification Facility last year was the most complex demolition of a contaminated facility at the site to date. “This successful demolition literally changed the landscape and footprint of the WVDP and the community,” Dabbar said. “This accomplishment speaks volumes of the workers’ abilities to find solutions and use lessons learned to solve some of the most challenging problems we face in reducing legacy risks.” EM WVDP Director Bryan Bower said the site was honored to host the Under Secretary. “It’s important to see the work up-close that’s being accomplished at the site, and how this work fits into DOE’s mission and cleanup strategy,” Bower said. Link to Update

September 26, 2019 – Pegula Sports & Entertainment today welcomes EnergyMark as the Official Energy Supplier of the Buffalo Bills. The Williamsville‐based company will now provide New Era Field and ADPRO Sports Training Center with electricity and natural gas supply services.

… EnergyMark has supplied natural gas, electricity, and risk management solutions for over 15 years to more than 15,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers throughout Western New York and Northwest Pennsylvania. EnergyMark is also developing a 10 megawatt community solar project located at the West Valley Nuclear Project site, on 46 acres, in Cattaraugus County. Link to article

September 26, 2019 – To see the progress of decommissioning work at the West Valley Demonstration Project, Department of Energy Under Secretary for Science Paul M. Dabbar made a visit to the site. Dabbar was given a tour of the WVDP on Sept. 23 by with everything going on.

The Environmental Management Cleanup Program, which is under Dabbar’s area in the DOE, was charged with cleaning up 107 sites across the country, with 91 of those sites currently completely cleaned up and 45 having portions turned over to the local community. Dabbar said WVDP is “one of the most important projects” and is excited to see the progress going on in West Valley. Link to article