Demolition Recommended At Ohio Uranium Plant Site

The federal government recommends demolishing over 200 buildings at the site of a former Cold War-era uranium plant in southern Ohio and creating a disposal facility there for most of the waste. At issue is the campus of the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, roughly 60 miles south of Columbus. The facility produced enriched uranium until 2001. The government is accepting public comment until Jan. 10 about whether the buildings should be demolished and any resulting waste should be left there or moved off-site. About 100 people attended a recent public meeting. Some indicated support for the demolition and disposal facility. Pike County Commissioner Blaine Beekman says commissioners there and in three adjacent counties support recommendations for demolition and a disposal facility.