Piketon, Ohio, Mayor Billy Spencer is urging the state’s U.S. senators to oppose funding to build the on-site disposal cell for waste from cleanup of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
“DOE has made it clear that they fully intend to bury radioactive, toxic and hazardous waste in Piketon despite the community’s opposition, and Ohio EPA has applied their ‘rubber stamp’ of approval,” Spencer wrote in an Oct. 16 letter to Sens. Sherrod Brown (D) and Rob Portman (R).
Local governments most affected by DOE’s decision to move ahead with the facility have passed official resolutions opposing on-site disposal, Spencer said in his latest effort to halt the project. While the village of Piketon and other local municipalities support the ongoing remediation of the former uranium enrichment site, they want all waste shipped away from their region, Spencer said.
Critics in Piketon and other neighboring areas have raised questions about the adequacy of the initial DOE public comment period prior to issuance of a record of decision on the project in summer 2015. They have also said DOE and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency have not addressed their concerns about cracked bedrock below the disposal cell site.
Portman discussed Piketon’s concerns with Energy Secretary Rick Perry when the former Texas governor visited Portsmouth on Sept. 29, according to Emily Benavides, a spokeswoman for the lawmaker.
“Senator Portman’s goal is to clean-up the site in a way that meets all environmental laws and that turns over the site for redevelopment as quickly as possible,” Benavides said by email.
Portman told Perry it is important to make sure that the current landfills and plumes on site “are dug up and used as fill material for the new cell,” Benavides said. Portman hopes that DOE can reach an agreement with Ohio that will speed cleanup and redevelopment of the site, Benavides added.
A spokesperson for Brown could not be reached for comment.
The Energy Department issued its record of decision for the $900 million On-Site Waste Disposal Facility (OSWDF) in June 2015. The ROD, which laid out a plan for disposal of more than 2 million cubic yards of waste from the gaseous diffusion plant, was supported by the Ohio EPA.
