The town of Ashford, N.Y., hopes to eventually land federal payment in lieu of taxes funding to help offset the cost of the nuclear cleanup at the West Valley Demonstration Project site, which is within town limits.
Town Supervisor Charles Davis said by telephone Wednesday he has been working with the office of Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) toward having Ashford treated as a “host” community for an Energy Department cleanup site, which might make it eligible for PILT payments.
The state of New York already provides about $500,000 per year, Davis said. Ashford would like to also attract some federal money to help compensate for almost 3,300 acres of land that cannot presently be used for business development, he added, alluding to the West Valley site. It’s also tough to lure business to an area with a nuclear cleanup project in the backyard, Davis said.
The PILT program provides federal money to local governments to help offset losses in property taxes due to non-taxable U.S. government facilities within their boundaries. Strictly speaking, however, West Valley isn’t a federal facility.
“The DOE folks don’t see us as a DOE site,” which creates some obstacles, Davis said. The project property, located 40 miles from Buffalo, was once home to a commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing plant that ceased operation in the mid-1970s. The site belongs to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Congress in 1980 made DOE responsible for solidifying and disposing of the site’s high-level waste and decommissioning its buildings.
The Energy Department must also pay 90 percent of the cost of cleanup, with the state paying the other 10 percent.
Ashford is a small community of about 2,300 people and could use federal support to fund schools or recruit new business, Davis said. The Ashford supervisor wouldn’t make any predictions about the town’s chances of securing PILT payments, or how long it might take.
“If you want something to happen, go knock on doors,” Davis said, adding that’s what the town is doing. Schumer’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
NYSERDA spokesperson Kate Muller said by email Friday the state is aware of Davis’ efforts on the PILT front and the town’s efforts to get the waste at West Valley reclassified as defense waste, rather than commercial waste.
Phase 1 decommissioning, which includes the demolition and off-site disposal of most of the above-ground facilities at the West Valley site, is currently expected by 2030, Muller said.
In addition, a DOE spokesperson said by email Friday contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley LLC is on track to finish demolishing the vitrification plant at West Valley in March. The facilities tear-down portion of Phase 1 is expected to be complete in 2020, the DOE spokesperson added.
