COLUMBUS, Ohio – On Monday, investigative journalist Jason Salley did what he does every day: he checked the Ohio EPA’s public records portal for new filings. What he found — and what happened next — has ignited outrage among activists and raised serious questions about transparency inside the agency charged with protecting Ohioans from environmental harm.
Nearly 14 Notices of Violation tied to hazardous‑waste issues at the former Piketon Atomic Plant appeared on the portal, along with several Director’s Findings. These are not minor clerical notes — they are formal regulatory actions documenting failures at one of the most scrutinized sites in the state.
But within hours, every single one of those documents vanished!
When Salley returned to download the files, the portal had been scrubbed clean. No NOVs. No Director’s Findings. Nothing.
On Tuesday, we asked the Ohio EPA what happened. Their explanation only deepened the concerns.
According to the agency’s press secretary:
“Ohio EPA has been converting its older paper files into digital documents in the electronic document management (eDoc) system. The documents you’ve requested were published prior to completing the full review process. The review was completed this morning, and all but three documents containing attorney-client confidential language are now available on the public portal.”
The agency insists this was a routine clerical issue — nothing more than a premature upload.
But for many in Pike County and beyond, that answer doesn’t pass the smell test.
Why were the documents posted before review?
Why did the review suddenly finish only after a journalist noticed the disappearance?
What exactly was redacted — and why?
And why, of all things, did the documents that briefly appeared happen to involve hazardous‑waste violations at PORTS, one of the most politically sensitive cleanup sites in the state?
Screenshots taken before the purge confirm the missing records were tied to hazardous‑waste management failures. That alone has fueled suspicion.
Environmental advocates are calling the episode “deeply troubling” and “a red flag for anyone who cares about transparency.” Many say the Ohio EPA’s explanation raises more questions than it answers — especially in a region where trust in regulators is already strained.
For a community living in the shadow of decades of contamination, disappearing records are not a clerical hiccup. They are a warning sign.
Activists are demanding a full accounting of what happened, what was removed, and why the public was denied access — even temporarily — to documents that directly concern their health and safety.
The Ohio EPA may call this a routine review.
But to the people of Piketon, it appears to be something entirely different.