For
Immediate Release
August 2, 2002
Contact: Rusty Cheuvront (502) 564-2611
PATTON,
PADUCAH LEADERS DISCUSS GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT
Governor’s
top Environmental & Economic Development Priority
Paducah,
KY - Governor Paul Patton and
members of his Executive Cabinet briefed Paducah community leaders today on the
state’s role on a wide range of issues related to the Paducah Gaseous
Diffusion Plant.
Patton
told meeting attendees of the high priority both the cleanup and job creation
had in his administration. “The timely and environmentally safe clean-up of
the existing gaseous diffusion plant and winning the location for the new
enrichment plant are the top environmental and economic development priorities
of my administration,” said Patton. “I’m committed to a workable plan that
will guarantee a timely, comprehensive and environmentally safe clean-up of the
plant and surrounding area. While we continue to pursue economic opportunities,
the health and safety of our citizens will continue to be of utmost concern.”
In
addition to the Governor, cabinet attendees included Crit Luallen, Secretary of
the Governor’s Executive Cabinet; James Bickford, Secretary of the Natural
Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet; J.R. Wilhite, Commissioner of
the Department of Community Development; and Dr. Bill Brundage, Commissioner of
the Department for the New Economy.
The
U.S. Department of Energy recently presented a proposed Accelerated Cleanup Plan
for the state and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to consider. In a meeting
last week, all three parties agreed in principle to fast-action cleanup items
involving scrap metal piles, the North-South Diversion Ditch and sources of
groundwater contamination. “I am pleased we have reached agreement with the
EPA and DOE on some important cleanup items,” said Secretary Bickford. “An
ongoing series of meetings have already been agreed to which will ensure the
flow of federal cleanup dollars will not be interrupted.”
Governor
Patton also announced the state has allocated $2.4 million over the next two
years to establish the Consortium For Energy
and the Environment, whose director will be located in Paducah. The
Consortium, proposed by the New Economy Strategic Plan, will be developed and
operated under the direction of Dr. Bill Brundage, Commissioner of the
Department for the New Economy. “We appreciate the strong support that U.S.
Senator Mitch McConnell has given us on this issue and especially his recent
insertion of language into federal legislation that will assist the
Consortium’s start-up,” Patton said. Partners in the consortium include:
Murray State University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville and
the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.
On
the economic development front, USEC, the operator of the uranium enrichment
facility at Paducah, has initiated a siting process for a new enrichment
facility. Planning for enrichment
via a new centrifuge-based technology, USEC will make a location decision later
this year for the “lead cascade” or pilot facility.
The company projects that a site location decision will be made in 2004
for the larger “commercial plant” for this new technology.
The
lead cascade facility is a $50-70 million project that would employ 50 full-time
employees over its 6-7 years of operation.
Its purpose is to verify the cost and reliability of building and
operating the centrifuge technology. The
commercial plant is projected to cost more than $1 billion and would employ
500-600 full-time employees. USEC
plans to consider these two facilities in separate location decisions.
The
Kentucky Economic Development Cabinet is actively working with local officials
in Paducah and McCracken County on a proposal for the location of the lead
cascade facility. Commissioner J.R.
Wilhite said, “The retention of existing jobs is vital to a local economy, and
the significant economic impact of USEC in Paducah requires the strongest
efforts from the state and community to secure the new enrichment operations.”
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