Many Pike County Residents Not Concerned About Nuclear Power Plant

PIKETON, Ohio—The official announcement will not come until Thursday, but residents in Pike County are already waiting anxiously for official confirmation of plans to build a nuclear power plant in Piketon, about an hour south of Columbus.

Gov. Ted Strickland’s office has scheduled a news conference for Thursday morning to announce plans to build what has been described officially as a “21st century clean energy production center.“

A spokesperson in the governor’s office said Wednesday they would not discuss the possibility of a nuclear power plant after word leaked Tuesday that the new facility would employ as many as 4,000 people in construction jobs over the next several years.

Pike County Commissioner Blaine Beekman said he and other commissioners could not discuss the matter until Thursday and had been operating under a confidentiality agreement for the past two months. But referring to news coverage of a proposed nuclear power plant that would bring 4,000 construction jobs to the area, Beekman said the reports are accurate.

Pike County’s unemployment rate currently is more than 15 percent and several residents told NBC 4 that the plant would be a huge lift to the local economy.

“A lot of our kids from the area typically, they have to move away to get a good job,“ said Herman Potter, an area resident.

“I think it will help everywhere—housing, jobs, businesses, restaurants,“ said Susie Ridner, an area resident.

At JC’s Diner, owner Theresa Evans said she would love to be so busy that she would need more staff.

“There’s people that need jobs and I’ll be glad to hire good working people,“ Evans said.

Trainer Jim Sorrell works for Uranium Disposition Services and said once the plant is built, the full-time jobs pay similar to industry standards.

“The biggest boost will be when they build because they bring in a tremendous construction crew to put one together,“ Sorrell said. “The average salaries, engineering, operating, all the way down, you’re probably going to average $90,000 to $100,000 a year.“

Asked if they had safety concerns, not a single resident who spoke to NBC 4 indicated any worry about the nuclear plant.

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