Lanterna Rally

Author: Gary L. Jones

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2001-09

Total Pages: 60

ISBN-13: 9780756716905

The West Valley nuclear facility (WVNF), in W. NY State, was built to convert spent nuclear fuel (NF) from comm'l. reactors into reusable nuclear fuel. However, the market for reprocessed NF was limited; new, more restrictive health and safety standards raised concerns about the facility; and there was concern about reprocessed NF being used to make nuclear weapons. The WVNF was permanently shutdown in the 1970s, and cleanup began in the 1980s. This report examines: the status of the cleanup; factors that may be hindering the cleanup; the degree of certainty in the DoE's est. of total cleanup costs and schedule; and the degree to which the WVNF cleanup may reflect larger cleanup challenges.