SENS SALAZAR AND ALLARD CONGRATULATE HUSEP ON NSF AWARD

Denver, CO – U.S. Senators Ken Salazar (D-CO) and Wayne Allard (D-CO) congratulate the Henderson Underground Science and Engineering Project (HUSEP) on their award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for their proposal for the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory. HUSEP consists of University of Colorado, Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines, Henderson Mine, Stony Brook University and Arapaho Project as well as universities from several other states.

“I am especially proud of the organizations involved in HUSEP for bringing this award to Colorado. It underscores the high quality of Colorado’s universities, scientific community, infrastructure and transportation systems,” said Salazar. “Additionally, I am encouraged by the professionalism and level of cooperation in this proposal between world-renowned physicists, and Colorado’s very own flagship institutions: Colorado State University, the University of Colorado and the Colorado School of Mines – it bodes well for many future projects in our state,” said Senator Salazar.

The NSF has selected two proposals as part of a competitive process for a Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory Site (DUSEL) and Conceptual Design. Those two selected sites are the Henderson Mine near Empire, CO and the Homestake Mine in South Dakota. Each will receive $500,000 to produce a conceptual design for a possible DUSEL at those locations.

"I am pleased that Colorado's Henderson Mine has been chosen as one of two final locations for the NSF's Deep Underground lab, and I congratulate the people behind the Henderson Mine project for their hard work," Senator Allard said. "Colorado already has a stellar reputation for high-powered scientific research; I can think of no better place to conduct research that will shed light on some of science's toughest questions."

Some of the reasons the Henderson Mine has been chosen as a site for DUSEL are (1) the site’s extensive infrastructure, (2) proximity to major transportation corridors and Denver International Airport, and (3) its proximity to other world-class research facilities in the Denver metropolitan area. Placing such a large scientific facility in Colorado would open up significant new opportunities for jobs and research positively impacting the Colorado economy; the facility alone would provide over 100 jobs. According to the NSF, the lab could mean as much as $300 million to the state’s economy.

Beyond the enormous potential of having a facility suited to conduct deep-underground basic science experiments, the DUSEL facility would offer great educational potential. “Through the connection with Colorado’s research universities and the development of a visitor’s center at the site, DUSEL at the Henderson Mine will further a better understanding of fundamental scientific principles and the importance of education in the sciences for all Americans” concluded Salazar.