The Records of the Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes documents Coalition activities while monitoring and suing the operations of the West Valley Nuclear Wastes site in Western New York and responsible government agencies. It comprises government and corporate documents collected by the Coalition and publications by the Coalition. The depositories came from Coalition members Judy Einach (1948-present; Coalition president, 2006-present), Carol Mongerson (1927-2005), and Raymond C. Vaughan, and Coalition attorney Robert Knoerr. The contributor is sometimes noted on the corner of each page as follows: Einach [JH], Mongerson [CM], and Vaughan [RV]. For most of the collection, the archivist kept provenance and original order of each contributor’s records by creating specific series/subseries. However, archivist notes ([ ]) indicate separated items due to the size of boxes. Also, please be aware of archivist notes ([closed, or restricted]) for further details, since some documents are restricted. A section entitled “includes” after the folder level description does not attempt to describe everything in the folder, but rather highlights some significant items to give a sense of the folder’s contents.

Series I. Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes’s Files contain mainly Judy Einach’s documents. Subseries A. Meeting/Conferences contain meeting- and conference-related correspondence, notes, schedules, and supplements since the Coalition participated in a significant number of meetings. Those meetings have been sponsored by state and federal government agencies: Citizen Advisory Meeting (a.k.a. pig, public, or technical meeting); NRC’s Advisory Committee on Nuclear Wastes meeting; New York Low-Level Waste Management Siting Committee meeting (a.k.a. Siting meeting); NYSERDA’s board and roundtable meetings; and West Valley Program Committee meeting of the New York State Attorney General’s Office (which was formed to assist citizens’ and groups’ interactions and discussions during federal and state-sponsored meetings). Sometimes, state and federal sponsored meetings were combined to meet their purposes. The Coalition’s own meetings are steering committee and pig or technical meeting. A long-standing Coalition member, Raymond C. Vaughan’s Files in Series II, contain those meeting/conference files, as well.

Series II of Raymond C. Vaughan’s Files contain documents produced by, researched by, commented on, or specifically requested by the Coalition, including records of activities of the Coalition while monitoring and studying the operations of the West Valley Nuclear Wastes site, communication among the members, and correspondence with government officials. Health, environmental, and technical matters on the site are significant in this series.

Subseries C. D. E of Series III. Legal Files contain court documents including Affidavits and Records of Decision. Subseries A. contains information from legislatures and government agencies, government-sponsored meetings, and collected information from professionals in different health or technical fields that relate to nuclear wastes and the site management. The Coalition’s civil action lawsuit case was about violating both cleanup standards of National Environmental Policy Act and a 1987 settlement between the Coalition and DOE by issuing an environmental statement concerning waste management activities at the West Project site, but didn’t address long-term closure issues of the rest of the Western New York Nuclear Service Center. Coalition attorney Robert Knoerr’s research and files are mainly gathered in the series.

Subseries A. Carol Mongerson Manuscript of Series III contains significant footage of the West Valley site, interviews with workers during Nuclear Fuel Services operation time as well as residents’ interviews, and her views as a government watchdog activist. Footnotes and clippings extend the author’s field research on working conditions at facilities from earlier to the late 1980s, and development of site regulations and policies over the decades from a citizen’s point of view. Her unpublished manuscripts, Silent Rape, Waste Valley, and West Valley, are also included in the subseries. Also within the Series are members’ collections of banners, newspaper clippings, paintings, photos, and posters.