Funding in recent years has been a combination of federal dollars and the sale of uranium.
Portman’s office said it received a surprise last week when the Trump administration said it planned to reduce the amount of uranium that the decommissioned nuclear site could sell.
That reduction — meant to protect the flagging price of uranium — could reduce the amount of money that can be used to clean up the site, according to Portman.
The timing, in particular, was worrisome to Portman, who said the administration announced the plan at around 3 p.m. on Friday — after congressional negotiators had already finalized their federal spending bill. Portman’s office contacted the clean-up contractor, who said austerity measures would be used to offset the reduction in money.
Portman, R-Ohio, also called Energy Secretary Rick Perry to complain, according to his office, saying the Energy Department should’ve alerted lawmakers about the plan to reduce the uranium sale.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, also expressed concern about the policy change.
“This plant has already faced so much uncertainty over the past several year, and I’m concerned this decision by the Trump Administration and Secretary Perry will leave us with a bigger gap to make up in next year’s appropriation process. We need these jobs in southeast Ohio and DOE must work with us so cleanup can continue in the future.”
The administration has not yet released its budget for the next fiscal year, which begins in October. Portman said he has urged Perry to request additional funds in his budget request for FY 2018 in order to prevent layoffs.
The $274 million that Congress will vote on this week is for a $1 trillion spending bill paying for the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. Congress has been paying for the government through short-term spending bills since October.
The former nuclear site, near Piketon, has struggled in recent years. Last year, then-Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz decided to discontinue a pilot project to enrich uranium at the former plant, shifting the resources instead to Oak Ridge, Tenn.
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