Feds Settle Claims Over Radioactive Waste Disposal
By AP
PADUCAH, KY - The federal government and a U.S. Department of Energy contractor have reached a $230,000 settlement over allegations that the company improperly handled and disposed of radioactive waste from a nuclear reprocessing plant in western Kentucky.
The settlement, unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Paducah, does not require Bechtel Jacobs to admit fault and clears them of liability related to the improper disposals from 1998 through 2004.
The settlement ends a 10-year legal battle started two former employees at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant on behalf of the federal government. The employees sued in 2002, claiming Bechtel Jacobs mishandled waste from the plant over a six year period.
The plant produces enriched uranium for use at nuclear power plants.