Documents confirm safety of soil removal in Paducah

PADUCAH — The Department of Energy has formally released documents after McCracken County Judge Executive Craig Clymer requested confirmation pertaining to soil being removed from the Department of Energy Paducah site.

The request followed recent community concerns about soil being moved by nuclear enrichment startup General Matter.

Since June, General Matter has been transporting soil from the DOE site onto residential property. Community group Protect McCracken County posted videos of the trucks moving the soil to a location on Old Highway 60 in Kevil.

Clymer said in a previous interview with WPSD-TV that he wanted a document explicitly stating the soil was safe to move off the site. Erik Olds, manager of the Portsmouth Paducah Project Office of Environmental Management, sent that statement to Clymer on Wednesday.

It reads in part:

“The attached supplemental analysis, which was shared with EPA Region 4 and KDEP, confirms that the soil is protective of human health and the environment.”

Olds said the DOE has received messages from members of the community about the project. As development continues, he said he encourages people to reach out to the DOE if they have additional questions.

Following the supplemental analysis, Olds said the soil meets risk standards.

“General Matter did notify DOE of its intent to move dirt from the lease area to a nearby privately owned offsite location, and to support this, DOE prepared an internal risk analysis,” Olds said. “To support knowing that dirt could be moved off-site, we did a supplemental analysis to confirm that soil met both residential and recreational risk standards.”

Olds added that the supplemental analysis was conducted to confirm moving the soil met risk standards. He said the risk analysis is completed by comparing findings to standards from the Environmental Protection Agency, DOE, or Nuclear Regulatory Commission based on the intention of the land. After Clymer said he wanted additional confirmation, Olds said he understands the questions from the judge executive.

“It was a very fair request for the judge to request that information, looking for that documentation on the risk and the safety of that material,” Olds said. “We’re certainly happy to provide it.”

After waiting for the documents and statement confirming the soil was safe to remove, Clymer said he was pleased with the information. He added that community members had valid concerns about the process, which is one reason he wanted additional information.

“It does provide what I’ve been trying to get for maybe weeks, if not months — that the analysis shows that there is essentially no risk to the public or the community,” Clymer said. “I have been frustrated that I couldn’t find it, that I could find other material that did not answer the question.”

Upon receiving the analysis and confirmation from the supplemental study, Clymer said that it provided formal authorization and proof he’s been seeking. He highlighted the consistent concerns from the community, but is optimistic this information can offer some relief.

He said he wants to assure the public that local leaders are working on gathering evidence to provide transparency.

“It seems like it answers the question, and people can stand back and not be so concerned now,” Clymer said. “I think it’s important for the community to know that we’ve been trying to gather this — the proof that it either is safe or it’s still questionable for quite some time.”