The Portsmouth (PORTS) Site Specific Advisory Board (SSAB) operates as part of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Environmental Management (EM) SSAB. The EM SSAB was developed to involve stakeholders more directly in DOE EM cleanup decisions. While only one Federal Advisory Committee Act chartered EM SSAB exists, eight local Boards under the EM SSAB umbrella have been organized for EM activities at Hanford in Washington State, Idaho Falls in Idaho, Los Alamos in New Mexico, Nevada, Oak Ridge in Tennessee, Paducah in Kentucky, Portsmouth in Ohio, and Savannah River in South Carolina.

Under the EM SSAB charter, the SSAB is a stakeholder board that provides the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Environmental Management, and designees, with advice, information, and recommendations on issues affecting the EM program at DOE's Portsmouth site. These issues include: cleanup standards and environmental restoration, waste management and disposition, stabilization and disposition of non-stockpile nuclear materials, excess facilities, future land use and long-term stewardship, risk assessment and management, and cleanup science and technology activities.