Mark York
500 Mero Street, Suite 512
Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 564-3350
www.environment.ky.gov

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 1, 2003) – The accelerated environmental cleanup of hazardous waste at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plan (PGDP) is expected to proceed after the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today signed an agreed order with the state.

Henry C. List, secretary of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet and Jessie Hill Roberson, assistant secretary for Environmental Management at DOE, have both signed the order that will resolve outstanding compliance issues at the plant.

"We now have a commitment from DOE on enforceable cleanup projects and dates," said List.

The agreed order resolves enforcement and compliance issues from various activities at the plant and calls for DOE to pay a $1 million penalty for Notices of Violations (NOVs) issued by the state for hazardous waste infractions. DOE will also spend $200,000 for environmental improvement projects near the plant.

The cleanup of the North/South Diversion Ditch and the removal of 53,000 metric tons of scrap metal can proceed now that outstanding violations have been or are in the process of being corrected. DOE Material Storage Areas (DMSAs) and suspected listed-waste containers will have to be characterized by the federal agency which is also required to perform an investigation into groundwater contamination at the S and T landfills.

DOE will also inform federal budget committees in writing that PGDP should now be considered eligible for additional funding Congress had identified as contingent upon an agreement plan signed by the department and the Commonwealth.

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