Did anyone catch this and want to follow up? Growing Radioactive Plume? Not to be alarmist or anything but…..

Read in between the lines Kuhl’s press release. Nuclear waste clean up funds for at the West Valley site in WNY have been steadily decreasing. Gee, wonder why?

From Congressman Kuhl’s press release. Emphasis mine

ASHFORD HOLLOW, N.Y., Mar 19 - U.S. Rep. John R. “Randy” Kuhl, Jr. (R-Hammondsport) wrote to the House Appropriations Committee and asked that funds for the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) in Cattaraugus County be restored and increased following the President’s budget decrease and other decreases over the past few years.

[snip]

I am writing in support of an increase to the budget of the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) in the Department of Energy’s non-defense environmental clean up fund.

The Administration cut the operating budget for West Valley by nearly 30 percent, from $75 million in FY 2007 to $54 million for next year. The budget was up near $100 million just a few years ago and the scope of work has actually increased rather than decreased. There is a lot of work to be done on site, and the sooner the better.

An increase in the budget would accelerate clean up at a critical time in West Valley. There is a growing radioactive plume on the northern plateau of the property that, if left untouched, could spread into the groundwater system which is a network of creeks and rivers that ultimately leads to Lake Erie and the Great Lakes.

So put on your critical thinking caps and ask

Where is this place?

(Hint: Rochester is in the upper right hand corner. The green arrow is the site.)

Why has funding been continually cut?

Why would anyone risk the Great Lakes?

Why is this now becoming an issue?

Maybe that is why Halliburton is moving to Dubai? (Couldn’t’ resist)

note - I actually have a connection to this from a real long time ago when I was still in the Army. I was offered a job interview many years ago when I first arrived back in NY. Of course, my last duty station was near the Savannah River Plant so I wanted no part of this.