ABSTRACT
Balancing environmental regulations with economic development and a stable employment base are among the top priorities for Millersburg and Albany residents. In efforts to better understand the role of industrial priorities in environmental decision-making, this chapter deals with a description of Teledyne Wah Chang Albany’s (TWCA) production origins and environmental impacts. As the uses of zirconium became better known, demand for the material increased. To meet this demand, the Atomic Energy Commission sought bids for the production of 2,200,000 pounds of zirconium per year for five years, in 1956. Wah Chang, later renamed to TWCA, won the bid and produced its first batch of zirconium sponge on Christmas Day that same year. The cost for TWCA to complete the mitigation actions is roughly $20.5 million to date, with another $5 to $10 million to go for the groundwater treatment.
