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Fate of Money for Ohio Cleanup Uncertain Amid Veto Threat
By: Associated Press
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WASHINGTON (AP) – The House is moving ahead with a vote to provide extra cleanup money for a Cold War-era uranium plant in southern Ohio, even as the White House is threatening to veto it.
Lawmakers on Thursday were poised to approve the water and energy bill that would give the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon $213 million for decontamination and decommissioning. That’s $48 million above the Obama administration’s request.
The White House says President Barack Obama’s senior advisers will recommend he veto the broader $35.4 billion bill because they say it “drastically underfunds” investments to clean energy.
Ohio lawmakers have been pushing for more money for Piketon to give workers stability in a pocket of high unemployment in the state.
The Senate has yet to release its proposal.