The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS) is the site of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) former gaseous diffusion plant at Piketon, Ohio in the heart of Appalachian Ohio. From the 1950s through the 1970s, PORTS was one of three facilities in the country that enriched uranium for use in nuclear weapons and nuclear energy production. Uranium enrichment ceased in 2001, and DOE began the process of decontamination and decommissioning the facility. As part of this process, DOE is required to obtain community input on the future of the site and researchers at Ohio University were funded to develop and implement a widespread community outreach program to gather public opinion.
Focus groups, interviews, and a telephone survey were the primary methods of data collection used to enhance understanding of community perceptions related to the plant. Community visioning teams used public opinion data and detailed environmental data to create 9 possible future use scenarios for DOE’s consideration. Results of the public outreach work suggest that there is a range of beliefs and opinions related to the history and future of the site.
However, the common theme that emerged is the importance of using the facility to create jobs for the region, which posts the highest unemployment rates in the state. The scenarios that were selected indicate that the community may be willing to consider activities on the site that might contribute to environmental degradation if there is a promise to improve the economic conditions of the region.
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