The House Energy and Water Appropriations Bill calls on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to “proceed expeditiously” with a record of decision at the former Sylvania nuclear fuel site in Hicksville, N.Y., where residents have been awaiting cleanup. A record of decision is a public document that outlines cleanup options for a location.
That’s one of the takeaways from the House Appropriations energy and water subcommittee’s spending bill report, which was released Monday. The full Appropriations Committee is scheduled to consider the bill at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The 10-acre Sylvania site is 30 miles east of lower Manhattan. Owned previously by Sylvania Electric Products, the site contains nuclear waste material from government and commercial activity between 1952 and 1967. The Department of Energy has determined that the site is eligible for inclusion in the the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).
According to the Corps website, off-site groundwater characterization is ongoing at Sylvania, and a comprehensive remedial investigation report, which characterizes the nature and extent of any potential remaining hazards, is expected for Environmental Protection Agency review in fiscal 2017.
