Sept. 3, 2010
Portsmouth Diffusion Plant Site Advisory Board Wants Public Input on Waste and Recycling Proposals
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Portsmouth, OH (HNN) – Members of the citizen’s advisory board for the clean up at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant want community leaders to attend to meetings, learn and give input. They want to hear from a larger audience concerning clean up and re-uses of the former “A” (“Atomic”) plant.
“The accelerated D & D (Decontamination and Decommissioned) activity with increased temporary employment and opportunity for various reuse applications with significant economic potentials creates the need for all community leaders to be aware of what is happening and the potential for this site in future development. Any action taken will have input on employment , business, and community services in at least the five county areas of Adams, Jackson, Pike, Ross and Scioto for the next several decades,” the approved recommendation stated.
Board member Larry Parker explained that the representatives could be invited to a meeting with no predetermined agenda.
Member Gene Brushart questioned why there are “well attended county and trustee meetings” but a strong representation from the populace does not come to the SSAB meetings. He stated that the community leaders don’t want to participate in a public SSAB meeting.
However, SSAB member Terri Ann Smith and other attendees questioned whether a “closed” meeting would be in violation of Ohio open meetings laws.
In fact, the “closed” meeting would conflict with the transparency approach of the Obama administration, too.
CLEAN UP
Three process buildings of the PGDP which ceased operations in 2001 and went to cold standby mode. The (Buildings X-326, X-330, and X-333) are moving toward clean up and reuse. In addition, sites such as the Switchyard, Cooling Tower Complex and others have been razed and /or D & D.
“This accelerated D & D activity at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Reservation near Piketon , Ohio, has generated considerable demolition waste, hazardous waste, low level radiation waste and mixed hazardous and radioactive waste… Future D & D activity will create considerable volumes of waste and debris with the possibilities of recycling or reuse of certain materials. There is a possibility of future onsite disposal of some types of wastes and debris.”
Most of the waste generated in demolition has been shipped off site to areas in Nevada, Ohio, Texas and Utah.
The board approved 12-1 the concept of finding a solution to informing officials in other counties who have stakes in the clean up and uses of the site.
Although approved in spirit, the recommendation will have to be balanced so as to comply with open meetings and transparency concerns.
TOWN MEETING REQUESTED
Vina Colley, president of PRESS, the Portsmouth/Piketon Residents for Environmental Safety and Security, and co-founder of National Nuclear Workers for Justice, suggested that a “town meeting” be held to explain to the people what’s happening
Colley worked as electrician at the plant before overcome by illness. In a 2000 interview, she stated, “At Piketon, we produced the highest assay of uranium, which was 97.7 percent, and that made the extra blast in the bomb. We also did a lot of stuff there for the nuclear navy.”
She and the organizations object to re-uses of the site that involve recycling nuclear waste, which is one of the proposals under consideration.
Colley’s illness started with numbness in her arms legs and lips. She thought she was working with PCB’s.
“There were times when we would go in areas where there were blowing air hoses and they would be blowing uranium contaminated dust all over the place, and we would walk into this area and these workers would be only wearing like a dust mask,” Colley said in the 2000 interview. “Of course, we didn't know it was uranium contaminated dust at that time. It's taken me from 1985 until 1999 to figure out what I did get exposed to there and today, I still don't actually know…
“And when I got sick, I wound up having three tumors, chronic bronchitis, thyroid problems, memory loss, joint/muscle pain. I had a tumor removed off the back of my neck…”
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Portsmouth Diffusion Plant Site Advisory Board Wants Public Input on Waste and Recycling Proposals
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Portsmouth, OH (HNN) – Members of the citizen’s advisory board for the clean up at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant want community leaders to attend to meetings, learn and give input. They want to hear from a larger audience concerning clean up and re-uses of the former “A” (“Atomic”) plant.
“The accelerated D & D (Decontamination and Decommissioned) activity with increased temporary employment and opportunity for various reuse applications with significant economic potentials creates the need for all community leaders to be aware of what is happening and the potential for this site in future development. Any action taken will have input on employment , business, and community services in at least the five county areas of Adams, Jackson, Pike, Ross and Scioto for the next several decades,” the approved recommendation stated.
Board member Larry Parker explained that the representatives could be invited to a meeting with no predetermined agenda.
Member Gene Brushart questioned why there are “well attended county and trustee meetings” but a strong representation from the populace does not come to the SSAB meetings. He stated that the community leaders don’t want to participate in a public SSAB meeting.
However, SSAB member Terri Ann Smith and other attendees questioned whether a “closed” meeting would be in violation of Ohio open meetings laws.
In fact, the “closed” meeting would conflict with the transparency approach of the Obama administration, too.
CLEAN UP
Three process buildings of the PGDP which ceased operations in 2001 and went to cold standby mode. The (Buildings X-326, X-330, and X-333) are moving toward clean up and reuse. In addition, sites such as the Switchyard, Cooling Tower Complex and others have been razed and /or D & D.
“This accelerated D & D activity at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Reservation near Piketon , Ohio, has generated considerable demolition waste, hazardous waste, low level radiation waste and mixed hazardous and radioactive waste… Future D & D activity will create considerable volumes of waste and debris with the possibilities of recycling or reuse of certain materials. There is a possibility of future onsite disposal of some types of wastes and debris.”
Most of the waste generated in demolition has been shipped off site to areas in Nevada, Ohio, Texas and Utah.
The board approved 12-1 the concept of finding a solution to informing officials in other counties who have stakes in the clean up and uses of the site.
Although approved in spirit, the recommendation will have to be balanced so as to comply with open meetings and transparency concerns.
TOWN MEETING REQUESTED
Vina Colley, president of PRESS, the Portsmouth/Piketon Residents for Environmental Safety and Security, and co-founder of National Nuclear Workers for Justice, suggested that a “town meeting” be held to explain to the people what’s happening
Colley worked as electrician at the plant before overcome by illness. In a 2000 interview, she stated, “At Piketon, we produced the highest assay of uranium, which was 97.7 percent, and that made the extra blast in the bomb. We also did a lot of stuff there for the nuclear navy.”
She and the organizations object to re-uses of the site that involve recycling nuclear waste, which is one of the proposals under consideration.
Colley’s illness started with numbness in her arms legs and lips. She thought she was working with PCB’s.
“There were times when we would go in areas where there were blowing air hoses and they would be blowing uranium contaminated dust all over the place, and we would walk into this area and these workers would be only wearing like a dust mask,” Colley said in the 2000 interview. “Of course, we didn't know it was uranium contaminated dust at that time. It's taken me from 1985 until 1999 to figure out what I did get exposed to there and today, I still don't actually know…
“And when I got sick, I wound up having three tumors, chronic bronchitis, thyroid problems, memory loss, joint/muscle pain. I had a tumor removed off the back of my neck…”
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