Environment DEC
From the January 2007 issue
Legal Action Announced to Remediate Contamination at West Valley
DEC employees Barbara Youngberg
and James Strickland from the Division of Solid and Hazardous Materials tour the West Valley facility
New York State has filed a lawsuit to ensure that the federal government remediates radioactive waste at a former nuclear fuel reprocessing facility in West Valley, Cattaraugus County, in a timely manner. The suit also seeks damages for harm the federal government has caused to the state's natural resources.
The lawsuit seeks to clarify the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for certain aspects of the cleanup so that the federal government is held responsible for completing the work. Recent workforce reductions and funding cuts by the DOE at West Valley raise concerns about federal commitment to complete this project. Therefore, the Attorney General's Office and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) filed the lawsuit to resolve these issues.
West Valley
High-level radioactive waste was
solidified into glass logs
- photo courtesy of NYSERDA
The West Valley site-approximately 30 miles south of Buffalo-once was home to the nation's first and only privately operated, commercial, nuclear fuel reprocessing facility. The facility was located at the Western New York Nuclear Service Center, a 3,300-acre parcel currently owned by NYSERDA on behalf of New York State. The reprocessing operation separated reusable uranium and plutonium from spent fuel, a majority of which came from the federal nuclear reactor in the State of Washington and other defense-related reactors.
DOE Responsibilities
A private company leased the property and operated the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing facility at the site from 1966 to 1972. Upon closing, they left behind a contaminated facility, including underground tanks containing high-level radioactive waste. Under the West Valley Demonstration Project Act, the DOE is responsible for the cleanup and disposal of nuclear contamination on approximately 200 acres of the West Valley site, which housed the major facilities of the center. In addition, the DOE must decontaminate and decommission the facilities used in this process.
State Cleanup Costs
Under federal law, New York State is responsible for 10 percent of the costs of the cleanup, with the federal government paying 90 percent. New York is the only state that contributes to the cleanup of a high-level radioactive waste site. To date, the state has contributed more than $250 million to the project.
Related Links
The DEC Radiation ProgramOther Links
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
