The West Valley Demonstration Project is a unique operation within the Department of Energy. It came into being through the West Valley Demonstration Project Act of 1980.  The Act requires that the Department is responsible for solidifying the high-level waste, disposing of waste created by the solidification, and decommissioning the facilities used in the process. The land and facilities are not owned by the Department. Rather, the project premises are the property of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and represents only 200 acres of the larger Western New York Service Center, which is approximately 3,300 acres, also owned by NYSERDA. After DOE's responsibilities under the Act are complete, the Act requires that the premises be returned to New York State. Until that time, the Act requires New York State to pay 10 percent of the Project costs, and the Department pays the remaining 90 percent.