Ohio EPA Approves Second of Two Decisions for Piketon Cleanup; U.S. Department of Energy Receives Green Light for Structure Removals

WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 31, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Ohio EPA has approved a second Record of Decision (ROD) for the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The document will allow the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to begin decontamination and decommissioning of buildings and structures at the site.

The ROD details how DOE and its contractors will remove buildings and structures, and then evaluate the resulting waste for on or off site disposal. Piketon served as part of the Cold War effort processing uranium for various uses. When the facility ceased operations, industrial chemicals, obsolete buildings and radioactive areas remained.

“With this document in place, DOE can begin its work to secure funding and mobilize for cleanup,” said Ohio EPA Director Craig W. Butler. “This decision could not have been made without the tireless efforts of many people at the federal, state and local levels.”

Formal public comments for this plan were received by DOE in November 2014 through early March 2015 and considered for the final decision.

The ROD is available online at Portals/47/nr/Final ROD for the DD Evaluation Project.pdf.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1972 to consolidate efforts to protect and improve air quality, water quality and waste management in Ohio. Since then, air pollutants dropped by as much as 90 percent; large rivers meeting standards improved from 21 percent to 89 percent; and hundreds of polluting, open dumps were replaced with engineered landfills and an increased emphasis on waste reduction and recycling.

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