WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) issued the following statement today after the U.S. Senate approved $266 million for decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) operations at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, which will protect local jobs and continue cleanup. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 90-8.
“This is a good step toward maintaining local jobs at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant and keeping cleanup efforts on track so the site can attract future investment,” said Brown. “These jobs are critical to Piketon and southern Ohio and I’ll continue efforts to protect them.”
Brown has worked to maintain jobs at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant by calling on Senate Appropriators to fund the plant this year and over the last several years. Last December, Brown successfully urged his colleagues to support funding of the site in the year-end appropriations bill. After WARN notices were issued last year, Brown worked to ensure that the continuing resolution fully funded D&D operations at the plant through Dec. 11. He also worked with Sec. Moniz to guarantee that no layoffs would occur at the plant during that time period. In August, he wrote to the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee urging full funding of D&D operations at Piketon in the FY 2016 appropriations bill. He also wrote to appropriators in March 2015 requesting the funding.
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