By Frank Lewis
Workers at the Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D) project at Piketon have received a reprieve from previously issued WARN notices, thanks to the funding included in the Continuing Resolution (CR) by Congress
“(Fluor BWXT CEO) Dennis (Carr) did just issue a message to employees confirming what has appeared in the news that any workforce restructuring action has been pushed back until after the Continuing Resolution,” Fluor BWXT Public Affairs Senior Manager, Jeff Wagner told the Daily Times. “Everything is pushed back to December 11 when we will have some additional information at that point. Any actions that were planned for October have been pushed back to December, based on discussions with the (Department of Energy) Secretary (Ernest Moniz) and members of the Ohio delegation.”
Moniz told Senator Rob Portman during committee hearings he does not expect any involuntary reduction before Dec. 11, but would not commit on future funding in the FY-2017 budget.
Some 500 WARN notices went out two weeks ago in anticipation that the funding would not come to continue the D&D project and voluntary layoffs began days after the notices were sent.
In a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing Tuesday morning, Portman urged U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to fully fund Piketon’s decontamination and decommissioning efforts and allow for continuation of the work at the American Centrifuge Plant, a project he said is important to our nation’s national security.
Piketon officials are asking the current funding process of appropriations and uranium sales be replaced with complete funding by the DOE.
Moniz said it is impossible at this time to discuss the 2017 budget within the scope of the funding.
Reach Frank Lewis at 740-353-3101, ext. 1928, or on Twitter @franklewis.
