Ward Valley Low Level Waste Facility Timeline

• December 1980  - Congress enacts the Low-level Radioactive Waste Policy Act (LLRWPA) Public Law 96-573 transferring management of low-level wastes to individual states or compacts. 
• 1982  - California passes AB 1513 which directs the Department of Health Services (DHS) to do 5 actions: 

1.  Low Level Waste (LLW) reduction;
2. Interim emergency storage plan;
3. establish site screening criteria;
4.  Levy LLW waste fees on producers;
5.  set up group of experts.

• 9-23-1983 - California passes SB 342 set up process for selecting licensee. DHS adopts licensee designee regulations.
• 1984 - Deadline for $10,000 licensee filing fee with Chem-Nuclear, Pacific Nuclear-Morrison Knudsen, Westinghouse & U.S. Ecology (USE) submitting fees.
• 4-5-1984 - DHS adopts licensee designee regulations;
• 5-4-1984 - Los Angeles Herald publishes an oped against building the dump;
  
• 7-6-1984 - Deadline for $10,000 licensee filing fee with Chem-Nuclear, Pacific Nuclear-Morrison Knudsen, ¾estinghouse & u.S. Ecology submitting fee;
  
• 8-17-1984  - DHS staff certifies all for candidate acceptable candidates.
• 8-20-1984 -  DHS selects Westinghouse as license designee.
• 10-31-1984 -  Round 2 of selection designee process opened. Chem-Nuclear files suit against DHS to enjoin round 2;
• 1-15-1985 -  Round 2 applications received by Westinghouse, Chem-Nuclear and Pacific Nuclear-Morrison Knudsen;
• 3-1-1985 -  Court enjoins DHS from starting round 2;
• 7-19-1985 - Court enjoins commencement of Round 2 and orders DHS to rank 3 remaining candidates;
• 11-2-1985 - DHS ranks final 3 candidates: 1. Pacific Nuclear-Morrison Knudsen; 2. Chem-Nuclear; 3. U.S. Ecology;
• 12-5-1985 - Pacific Nuclear-J1orrison Knudsen drops out. DHS notifies Chem-Nuclear as license designee. 
  
• 12-10-1985 - Chem-Nuclear declines designation.
• 12-17-1985 - U.S. Ecology selected as designee by DHS.
• 12-23-1985 - US Ecology posts $1 million performance bond & $250,000 for license.
• December 1985 - Congress enacts additional amendments (Public Law 99-240) to the original act establishing a new set of milestones.
• 1986 - US Ecology begins site selection process;
• June 1986 -  Citizen's Advisory Committee starts site review at Inyo, Riverside and San Bernardino;
• July 1, 1986 - First Milestone - State must join a compact or begin building facility.
  
•  1987 - U.S. Ecology announces three final candidate sites: Ward Valley, Silurian and Panamint. site characterization begins.
• 4-14-1987 - SF Examiner story first known story published in SF bay Area. 
  
• January 1988 - LLRWPA Milestone-States not in compliance can now be denied access to the three operating dumps.
• 1-1-1988 - LLRWPA Milestone-Compacts finalize host state and start siting.
• 3-19-1988 - U.S. Ecology selects Ward Valley as primary site. New York Times;
• 7-16-1989 - Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Public Hearing on DEIR/S Riverside San Bernardino;
• 7-17-1989 - BLM Public Hearing on DEIR/S Barstow;
• 7-18-1989 - BLM Public Hearing on DEIR/S Needles;
• 11-30-1989 - BLM requests lists of species living at Ward Valley;
• 12-1-1989  - DHS and State Lands Commission  (SLC) commences Ward Valley site appraisal negotiations.
• 12-15-1989 - DHS states that USE's license application is complete.
• January 1990 - LLRWPA Milestone-license application must be filed or state governor must provide guaranteed disposal access.
• 1-1-1990 - DHS and SLC agree on appraisal terms.
• 1-1-1990 - 3rd Milestone-Application for license filed.
• 1-3-1990 - U.S. Ecology completes its biological site assessment. 
• 2-1-1990 - BLM completes its appraisal process.
• 2-28-1990 - BLM initiates consultation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Ca. Fish and Game.
• 3-1-1990 - SLC staff given okay to enter appraisal agreement with DHS Lease approval between DHS and USE approved;
• 3-15-1990 -  Lease approval between DHS and USE approved;
• June 1990 - League of Women Voters releases Ward Valley guidebook;
  
• 6-16-1990 - Draft EIS/R notice of availability filed in Federal Register. 60 day public comment period begins.
• 7-15 thru 17-1990 - Public hearing held at Needles - 200 attend;
  
• 8-15-1990 - Comment period extended additional 45 days.
• 9-31-1990 - DEIR/S comment period ends;
  
• 10-28-1990  - Senator Peace Ward Valley hearings held;
• 1-16-1991 - Southwest Compact Commission meets for first time-state of Texas asks for access to dump
• 2-14-1991 - DHS's Hydrology committee meets;
  
• April 1991 - FEIR Comments released;
  
• 4-26-1991 - Senator Alquist proposes SB 596 (to remove opponent's legal rights) but fails;
• 5-7-1991 - Letter with major questions of concern sent to DHS  by state Sen. Bill Leonard, Assemblyman Gil Ferguson and Paul Woodruff;
• 5-10-1991 -  Final Environmental Impact Statement(FEIS) released by BLM/DHS
• 5-28-1991 - Comment period extended to July 3, 1991;
• 6-12-1991 - DHS extends comment period to August 4th and announces public hearings for Needles, Los Angeles and Sacramento for July 22, 1991.
• 7-11-1991 - Representative Barbara Boxer makes request the chair of the House Interior Committee (George Miller)investigate Ward Valley.
  
• 7-22-1991 - Over 1,000 people show up for hearings at the 3 locations with a vast majority (only 3 in support in Sacramento out of over 50 speakers)in opposition.
  
• 8-2-1991 -  George Miller (chair of Interior Committee, sends letter of concern to DHS.
  
• 8-21-1991 - The office of Michigan Gov. John Engler announced that Rep. John Dingell(chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, would be reopening PL 22-240.
  
• 8-27-1991 - South West Compact Commission meets (as a result of G. Miller's letter) over the phone and votes not to accept out of compact waste at present.
• 9-11-1991 - Dump proponents attempt to force the State Lands Com. to transfer via SB 487 but was withdrawn as a result of political pressure.
• 10-8-1991 - Legislative hearings on Ward Valley held by the Assembly's Natural Resources Committee.
• January 1992 - LLRWPA Milestone-$120/cu ft charge starts on waste coming into the three open state sites;
• January 1993 - LLRWPA Milestone-producers home state to take title and responsibility of all and waste entering 3 dumps. Facilities allowed to refuse waste from outside states.
• 1-19-1993 - Federal Judge blocks BLM order to transfer US land to California for Ward Valley;
  
• February 1993 - Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt rescinded former Secretary Lujan's record of decision and withdrew approval of the sale of the Ward Valley site;
  
• 9-16-1993 - BLM/DHS releases SEIS for Ward Valley land transfer.
  
• 10-15-1993 - SEIS comment Period deadline;
  
• 2-8-1994 - 4.8 million acres of the Mojave Desert becomes designated Tortoise habitat.
  
• 2-12-1995 - First Ward Valley encampment and blockade to stop LLW facility;
  
• 5-21-1995 - National Research Council releases a 200+ page report on Ward Valley.
  
• September 1995 - US Ecology threatens legal action if not allowed to construct and operate Ward Valley.
  
• October 1995 - Negotiations between California and Dept. of Interior's plans for Ward Valley collapses. Tribes begin Occupation of Ward Valley;
  
• 12-5-1995 - President Clinton vetoes Ward Valley land transfer rider (item 55) attached to Republican Budget reconciliation Bill.
  
• 1-18-1996 - Ca. Supreme Court lets stand appeals court decision (Fort Mojave Tribe vs. DHS 9-93)favoring Ward Valley.
  
• 3-7-1996 - S. 1596 Ward Valley Transfer Act introduced in US Senate. Blocked by Ca. Senators;
  
• 5-17-1996 - Ward Valley SEIS released;
  
• 5-24-1996 - President Clinton Executive Order 13007 establishes Indian Sacred Sites;
  
• November 1996 - President Clinton vetoes Ward Valley land transfer rider attached to Omnibus Spending Bill.
  
• 6-26-1997 - S. 964 Ward Valley transfer act, introduced by Senator Mirkowski blocked by Ca. Senators.
• 7-22-1997 - GAO review of Ward Valley intentionally excludes EPA environmental justice investigation
• 1-15-1998 - BLM/DHS permit to begin tritium testing that will activate Emergency Response Network;
  
• 1-29-1998 - Tribes release press statement opposing BLM/DHS actions - blockade continues;
  
• 2-13-1998 - BLM attempts to remove tribal blockade after 113 days;
  
• 6-16-1998 - Rev. Jesse Jackson and others call for Ward Valley abandonment (AP)
  
• 12-9-1998 - Ward Valley Opponents ask Cal. Governor elect Gray Davis to close Ward Valley.
• March 1999 - Court rules in favor of Sec. Babbitt's rescinding of land transfer;
  
• May 1999 - US Ecology appeals Babbitt ruling;
  
• September 1999 - BLM informs Dept of Interior that it was terminating all Ward Valley land transfer work;
  
• 11-2-1999 - Dept of Interior informs DHS that it is terminating Ward Valley land transfer process;
  
• November 1999 and January 2000 - Governor Davis says Ward Valley project was a "dead issue";
  
• June 2000 - US Ecology initiates legal action;
  
• 9-5-2001 - US Ecology loses legal challenge;
• 5-25-2005 - US Ecology loses appeal.
  

Produced by Abalone Alliance Clearinghouse - Roger Herried