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Rep. Wenstrup slams Department of Energy on Piketon project

The Highland County Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brad Wenstrup and members of the Ohio delegation widely derided the recent U.S. Department of Energy’s announcement of WARN Act notices concerning jobs at the Piketon cleanup project, indicating possible layoffs in the months to come.

The notices stem from DOE’s refusal to utilize available funding streams to keep the cleanup project on track, Wenstrup said.

“Cleaning up the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon is an economic and environmental necessity,” Wenstrup said.

“Unfortunately, the Department of Energy has once again put jobs at risk and jeopardized the project by announcing plans to lay-off Ohio workers, despite having the tools and ability to sustain full funding.”

Members of the Ohio Congressional delegation released a letter to the Department of Energy deriding the repeated failures to keep the project on track, calling for the Secretary of Energy to sustain current funding levels and avoid layoffs.

“This Administration’s failure to keep their commitments is untenable for Southern Ohio. I will continue to fight for the workers and families affected by this decision, despite the DOE’s dereliction, but we need the Department of Energy and this Administration to step up and close the funding gap,” Wenstrup said.

A copy of the letter is available at: /uploadedfiles/wenstrup_oh_moniz_letter.pdf.

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