West Valley Regulatory Roundtable Focuses on Current, Future Cleanup

Pictured from left at the West Valley Demonstration Project's regulatory roundtable: Paul Bembia, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) program director; Kristen Ellis; U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management associate principal deputy assistant secretary for regulatory and policy affairs; and John Williams, NYSERDA vice president for policy and regulatory affairs.

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. - The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management's (EM) West Valley Demonstration Project hosted a roundtable event with the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority to update the site's regulators on current and future cleanup.

"Communicating with our regulatory colleagues is crucial to achieving cleanup progress at the West Valley Demonstration Project site," said Kristen Ellis, EM associate principal deputy assistant secretary for regulatory and policy affairs. "It was great to meet in October to resume in-person dialogue and start building a common vision with federal and state partners to address the remaining environmental challenges."

The daylong meeting provided an opportunity to ask questions and hear from subject matter experts on a variety of key topics, including a project update, environmental monitoring, onsite dam spillway repair and future contract work scope focused on soil remediation and other activities.

"This is a team effort that involves all the agencies as we strive to meet or exceed our regulatory compliance standards and minimize potential impacts from site cleanup operations," said Jennifer Dundas, EM West Valley assistant director of Technical Services. "Through engagement, involvement and communication, we strive to seek valuable input from the regulatory community as we take the next steps toward site decommissioning and closure."