PADUCAH, Ky., (Aug.15, 2003) The Commonwealth of Kentucky and the
federal Department of Energy (DOE) are close to reaching an agreement on the
accelerated cleanup of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) according to
Gov. Paul Patton. Patton reassured
McCracken Countians today that progress was being made in response to the
resignation of seven members of the Citizens Advisory Board (CAB).
Patton said the state was close to signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI)
with DOE that outlines the commitment of accelerating environmental cleanup at
the PGDP. Patton led a team of
Kentucky regulators in negotiations with DOE officials in Washington last Monday
that led to the draft LOI.
In
my meeting in Washington on Monday with Assistant Secretary for Environmental
Management, Jessie Roberson, we both committed to reach an agreement as soon as
possible. We think we have reached a verbal agreement with the Department of
Energy and the documents are under review at the highest levels of the
department in Washington, said Patton. We
are hopeful that the department will agree to the draft LOI which will open the
way for us to formally sign the documents as early as next week.
Patton said he believed the LOI and Agreed Orders to follow sets the
projects and the timetables in place so that accelerated cleanup can move
forward.
The LOI is an agreement in principle with DOE for the accelerated cleanup
and the resolution of enforcement and compliance issues from various activities
at the plant.
The cleanup will follow a two-phase approach with the first phase
addressing five Operable Unit Strategic Initiatives focusing on the highest
priorities at the plant. The LOI
provides for enforceable deadlines for DOE to complete the cleanup work in the
first phase.
The second phase will address the balance of work necessary to protect
human health and the environment. Some
cleanup during this phase may not begin until after the plant ceases operation.
The state and DOE have agreed to begin negotiations for the second phase
six months prior to the plant shutdown to establish enforceable deadlines.
The LOI calls for the state and DOE to negotiate and sign an agreed order
by Sept. 15, 2003 to completely resolve the enforcement and compliance issues.
After the agreed orders are reached, DOE will notify Congress that the
PGDP should be considered eligible for additional cleanup funding.
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