WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) released the following statement on funding provisions included in the year-end spending bill. The $78 million in additional funding is expected to prevent layoffs at the plant and brings total fiscal year 2015 federal appropriations for cleanup activities in Piketon to $209 million.
“We know that cleanup of the Piketon site supports approximately 1,900 jobs,” Brown said. “Ensuring adequate funds for cleanup and redevelopment is critical to these jobs and so many other future jobs in Southern Ohio This bill will ensure that workers remain on the job as they redevelop the site for future use.”
“This is good news for the Piketon region and the 1,900 Ohio workers employed on the cleanup of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, and I am glad that Congress was able to provide more funding than the Administration requested, eliminating any chance of layoffs in the near-term,” Portman said. “I will continue to work with the Ohio congressional delegation, the Department of Energy, and the site contractor for the remainder of the year to resolve any workscope or funding issues that need to be addressed to ensure stable employment levels. But it is important that next year the Administration prioritizes the Piketon cleanup and sends Congress a funding request that supports the current workforce level and maintains the commitment to finish the cleanup by 2024.”