Rep. Wenstrup leads bipartisan letter to Energy Secretary Perry urging visit to Piketon
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Second District Congressman Brad Wenstrup, R-Cincinnati, who serves as a member of the Congressional Nuclear Cleanup Caucus, today led in sending a bipartisan letter to Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, supporting his commitment to visit the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon.
The letter was also signed by Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Congressman Steve Chabot (OH-01), Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-13), Congressman Michael Turner (OH-03), Congressman Bill Johnson (OH-06), Congressman Steve Stivers (OH-15), and Congressman David Joyce (OH-14).
During his Senate confirmation hearing in January, now Secretary Perry made a commitment to visit the Piketon plant. The letter acknowledges the scope and complexity of the decontamination and demobilization work at the plant, which employs nearly 2,000 skilled workers, who “labor ceaselessly through our highly uncertain fiscal environment.” Further, the letter notes that currently, “DOE is assessing options for developing a domestic uranium enrichment capability, including advanced centrifuge technology demonstrated at Piketon.”
A visit to Piketon would provide Secretary Perry with “crucial insight into these issues that will be very helpful as [he] faces tough decisions in the near future.”
Full text of the letter is available below.
March 13, 2017
The Honorable Rick Perry
Secretary of Energy
Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, D.C. 20511
Dear Secretary Perry,
Congratulations on your confirmation as the fourteenth Secretary of Energy. We are confident that you will make an excellent leader of the department, and we are particularly encouraged by the commitment you made to Senator Portman during your confirmation hearing to visit the DOE site in Piketon to witness the important work being done there.
As you know, one of DOE’s most important missions is maintaining our nuclear deterrent and the infrastructure that supports it. The people of southern Ohio made great sacrifices to support this mission during the Cold War through their work at, and support of, the Piketon site, and they continue making those sacrifices today through DOE’s cleanup and enrichment operations on site.
The decontamination and demobilization of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant is massive in scope and complexity, employing nearly 2,000 skilled workers who labor ceaselessly through our highly uncertain fiscal environment. Meanwhile, DOE is assessing options for developing a domestic uranium enrichment capability, including advanced centrifuge technology demonstrated at Piketon.
We strongly believe that a visit to Piketon will provide you with crucial insight into these issues that will be very helpful as you face tough decisions in the near future. As such, we hope that your visit takes place as early as possible in your tenure.
Thank you again for your dedication to public service, your leadership on these difficult issues, and your commitment to visiting Piketon. We stand ready to assist you in any way possible.
Sincerely,
Brad R. Wenstrup, Bill Johnson, David P. Joyce, Marcy Kaptur, Steve Stivers, Michael R. Turner, Steve Chabot and Tim Ryan
Members of Congress
The letter was also signed by Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Congressman Steve Chabot (OH-01), Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-13), Congressman Michael Turner (OH-03), Congressman Bill Johnson (OH-06), Congressman Steve Stivers (OH-15), and Congressman David Joyce (OH-14).
During his Senate confirmation hearing in January, now Secretary Perry made a commitment to visit the Piketon plant. The letter acknowledges the scope and complexity of the decontamination and demobilization work at the plant, which employs nearly 2,000 skilled workers, who “labor ceaselessly through our highly uncertain fiscal environment.” Further, the letter notes that currently, “DOE is assessing options for developing a domestic uranium enrichment capability, including advanced centrifuge technology demonstrated at Piketon.”
A visit to Piketon would provide Secretary Perry with “crucial insight into these issues that will be very helpful as [he] faces tough decisions in the near future.”
Full text of the letter is available below.
March 13, 2017
The Honorable Rick Perry
Secretary of Energy
Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, D.C. 20511
Dear Secretary Perry,
Congratulations on your confirmation as the fourteenth Secretary of Energy. We are confident that you will make an excellent leader of the department, and we are particularly encouraged by the commitment you made to Senator Portman during your confirmation hearing to visit the DOE site in Piketon to witness the important work being done there.
As you know, one of DOE’s most important missions is maintaining our nuclear deterrent and the infrastructure that supports it. The people of southern Ohio made great sacrifices to support this mission during the Cold War through their work at, and support of, the Piketon site, and they continue making those sacrifices today through DOE’s cleanup and enrichment operations on site.
The decontamination and demobilization of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant is massive in scope and complexity, employing nearly 2,000 skilled workers who labor ceaselessly through our highly uncertain fiscal environment. Meanwhile, DOE is assessing options for developing a domestic uranium enrichment capability, including advanced centrifuge technology demonstrated at Piketon.
We strongly believe that a visit to Piketon will provide you with crucial insight into these issues that will be very helpful as you face tough decisions in the near future. As such, we hope that your visit takes place as early as possible in your tenure.
Thank you again for your dedication to public service, your leadership on these difficult issues, and your commitment to visiting Piketon. We stand ready to assist you in any way possible.
Sincerely,
Brad R. Wenstrup, Bill Johnson, David P. Joyce, Marcy Kaptur, Steve Stivers, Michael R. Turner, Steve Chabot and Tim Ryan
Members of Congress