Today, the Office of Environmental Management awarded a non-competitive financial assistance grant consistent with the Fiscal Year 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act to the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce to provide a better understanding for the future use of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant Site.  This project will consist of site mapping, community studies, data analysis, and development of recommended strategies.

This financial assistance grant totaling $2 million, will be administered over a three-year period beginning June 5, 2023 through December 31, 2025.

The DOE Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office oversees environmental cleanup at the Paducah Site, which produced enriched uranium for national security and later commercial energy purposes until operations ceased in 2013.  “Placing the future vision of the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant site in the hands of the community allows DOE to align cleanup strategies to promote sustainable redevelopment,” said Joel Bradburne, Manager Portsmouth and Paducah Project Office.

For more than 30 years, EM has remained focused on addressing the environmental legacy of nuclear weapons development and nuclear energy research that helped end World War II, win the Cold War, and position the United States as a leader in clean nuclear energy. Collectively, EM is delivering results that are protecting the environment, supporting communities and enabling a concerted focus on safely completing the mission sooner and more efficiently.

Additional information regarding the DOE Portsmouth Site is available at: /pppo/portsmouth-cleanup