Feds commit to clean up Piketon-area site, Portman says
WASHINGTON — Sen. Rob Portman says he has secured a commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy to clean up landfills and plumes at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant near Piketon.
The plant, which enriched uranium for nuclear weapons during the Cold War and later for nuclear-power plants through 2001, has awaited cleanup for years. Portman, R–Ohio, and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D–Ohio, have been among those calling annually for cleanup money.
In September, Energy Secretary Rick Perry toured the site.
“I believe his visit here made a difference in securing today’s commitment from DOE,” Portman said.
Portman, citing a letter from James Owendoff, the Energy Department’s principal deputy assistant secretary for environmental management, to Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director Craig Butler, said the letter means the commitment is now “legally enforceable” and “will allow the entire site to be redeveloped to benefit the community.”
That letter reiterated that the Energy Department will “excavate and consolidate the plumes and landfills within Perimeter Road as needed to meet the backfill requirements for the disposal facility.”
Portman made his comments at a meeting in Piketon on Friday with key stakeholders, including Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Cincinnati, who represents the Piketon area in the House.