Oct. 11, 2010
Senate Resolution Honors Cold War Nuclear Workers, Including Those in Huntington
542 Huntington Workers Compensated
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution September 29 designating October 30, 2010 as a national day of remembrance for uranium and nuclear workers who served their country during the Cold War. The plants and workers / survivors include those who formerly worked at the Huntington Pilot Plant, which processed and recycled uranium between about 1951-1962, as well as the Portsmouth and Piketon Gaseous Diffusion Plants.
“Our nation’s cold war veterans who dedicated their brainpower, livelihoods and unknowingly jeopardized their health to develop our nuclear deterrent, deserve this recognition,” said Senator Tom Udall (D-NM), one of the resolution’s four sponsors. “Behind the Manhattan Project at what would become Los Alamos National Laboratory were not only scientists, but many others like janitors, maintenance workers and miners and millers. They worked with and supplied the very substances that made them sick, and in too many instances ultimately led to their premature deaths. They — and their families — sacrificed tremendously for the security of America and for that we will always owe them a debt of gratitude.”
“These civilian workers made great contributions to our national defense during the Cold War,” said co-sponsor Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.). “It’s appropriate that we dedicate a day to celebrate their achievements and to honor the sacrifices they made to help keep our country and its citizens safe.”
Cold War Patriots, one of many groups representing former uranium and atomic workers and their survivors, stated on its website “there are some local celebrations being planned across the country.” Details will be announced upon confirmation of date, time and location.
Many of the Cold War Patriot workers attended a resource fair at the Scioto County Fairground in July. A spokesman for the group told the Portsmouth Daily Times that “over 1,000 [of the groups’ 5,000 members] of them are in southern Ohio because of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant.”
Vina Colley, president of Portsmouth/Piketon Residents for Environmental Safety and Security (PRESS) and co-founder of National Nuclear Workers for Justice (NNWJ), explained that NNWJ organized the first national meeting honoring sick workers. “Kentucky workers [from Paducah ] and myself broke the first story on plutonium [contamination
Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning stated, ““I could not be more grateful for our nuclear weapons program workers and uranium miners, millers and haulers for their dedicated service to our nation during the Cold War. As a result of their hard work America emerged victorious, but many of these brave men and women developed illnesses and sacrificed their well-being because of their efforts to keep America safe. For this reason they deserve to be honored, which is why I introduced this resolution recognizing them for their patriotic service at a time when our country needed them most.”
(Editor’s Note: We have asked for a comment from Rep. Rahall, Sen. Rockefeller, and WV Gov. Joe Manchin.)
According to a Department of Labor website, over $5.3 million dollars in compensation and medical bills have been paid to 542 unique individual workers and/or survivors families from those who worked at the then classified Huntington uranium processing and recycling plant. http://archives.huntingtonnews.net/local/100219-rutherford-localnioshresponds.html and http://www.dol.gov/owcp/energy/regs/compliance/statistics/WebPages/HUNTINGTON_PLT.htm
The site operated from about 1951-1962, went into cold stand by, and was dismantled in 1978-1979 due to extreme radioactive contamination and buried at a “classified” materials trench on the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant property in Piketon, Ohio.
Currently, the PGDP location is undergoing decommissioning and decontamination procedures as the location is prepared for some future use. The radioactively contaminated remains of the Huntington plant will likely never be removed from the ground due to the extreme contamination.
Other portions of the Piketon, Ohio , footprint are undergoing “clean up,” but the processes utilized in remediating this and other former atomic weapons sites are themselves experimental. Some of the sites have radioactive materials buried that have half-lives of ten thousand to one hundred thousand years, so the burial locations will require continual monitoring for leakage from rusting materials contained therein.
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Senate Resolution Honors Cold War Nuclear Workers, Including Those in Huntington
542 Huntington Workers Compensated
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution September 29 designating October 30, 2010 as a national day of remembrance for uranium and nuclear workers who served their country during the Cold War. The plants and workers / survivors include those who formerly worked at the Huntington Pilot Plant, which processed and recycled uranium between about 1951-1962, as well as the Portsmouth and Piketon Gaseous Diffusion Plants.
“Our nation’s cold war veterans who dedicated their brainpower, livelihoods and unknowingly jeopardized their health to develop our nuclear deterrent, deserve this recognition,” said Senator Tom Udall (D-NM), one of the resolution’s four sponsors. “Behind the Manhattan Project at what would become Los Alamos National Laboratory were not only scientists, but many others like janitors, maintenance workers and miners and millers. They worked with and supplied the very substances that made them sick, and in too many instances ultimately led to their premature deaths. They — and their families — sacrificed tremendously for the security of America and for that we will always owe them a debt of gratitude.”
“These civilian workers made great contributions to our national defense during the Cold War,” said co-sponsor Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.). “It’s appropriate that we dedicate a day to celebrate their achievements and to honor the sacrifices they made to help keep our country and its citizens safe.”
Cold War Patriots, one of many groups representing former uranium and atomic workers and their survivors, stated on its website “there are some local celebrations being planned across the country.” Details will be announced upon confirmation of date, time and location.
Many of the Cold War Patriot workers attended a resource fair at the Scioto County Fairground in July. A spokesman for the group told the Portsmouth Daily Times that “over 1,000 [of the groups’ 5,000 members] of them are in southern Ohio because of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant.”
Vina Colley, president of Portsmouth/Piketon Residents for Environmental Safety and Security (PRESS) and co-founder of National Nuclear Workers for Justice (NNWJ), explained that NNWJ organized the first national meeting honoring sick workers. “Kentucky workers [from Paducah ] and myself broke the first story on plutonium [contamination
Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning stated, ““I could not be more grateful for our nuclear weapons program workers and uranium miners, millers and haulers for their dedicated service to our nation during the Cold War. As a result of their hard work America emerged victorious, but many of these brave men and women developed illnesses and sacrificed their well-being because of their efforts to keep America safe. For this reason they deserve to be honored, which is why I introduced this resolution recognizing them for their patriotic service at a time when our country needed them most.”
(Editor’s Note: We have asked for a comment from Rep. Rahall, Sen. Rockefeller, and WV Gov. Joe Manchin.)
According to a Department of Labor website, over $5.3 million dollars in compensation and medical bills have been paid to 542 unique individual workers and/or survivors families from those who worked at the then classified Huntington uranium processing and recycling plant. http://archives.huntingtonnews.net/local/100219-rutherford-localnioshresponds.html and http://www.dol.gov/owcp/energy/regs/compliance/statistics/WebPages/HUNTINGTON_PLT.htm
The site operated from about 1951-1962, went into cold stand by, and was dismantled in 1978-1979 due to extreme radioactive contamination and buried at a “classified” materials trench on the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant property in Piketon, Ohio.
Currently, the PGDP location is undergoing decommissioning and decontamination procedures as the location is prepared for some future use. The radioactively contaminated remains of the Huntington plant will likely never be removed from the ground due to the extreme contamination.
Other portions of the Piketon, Ohio , footprint are undergoing “clean up,” but the processes utilized in remediating this and other former atomic weapons sites are themselves experimental. Some of the sites have radioactive materials buried that have half-lives of ten thousand to one hundred thousand years, so the burial locations will require continual monitoring for leakage from rusting materials contained therein.
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