AIKEN LEADERSHIP VISITS WASHINGTON

I had the opportunity to join a group of Aiken County community leaders on their annual trip to Washington last week. Aiken County and its neighbors in Augusta, Ga. work closely together on issues facing the region and were both involved in this trip. This two-state region is often referred to as the Central Savannah River Area (or CSRA for short). Because the Savannah River Site and Fort Gordon, both federal installations, are important to the CSRA, this annual trip is a good way to keep lines of communication open with the administrative agencies that run these sites. It’s also a good way for the Congressional delegation to hear first hand how the community is doing. My boss, Sen. DeMint, addressed the group and spoke about the importance of the Savannah River Site to the nation, especially as we seek to become energy secure. Between the Savannah River National Lab and its partnership with Aiken County at the Center for Hydrogen Research, the community is at the forefront of the development of transformative technologies that hold the potential to unlocking hydrogen for use as a common power source. The senator also spoke about legislation he is backing to make sure the federal government keeps its promise to open Yucca Mountain so that we can secure nuclear materials in one protected location rather than having them scattered around the nation. The community also was proud of recent news that the unemployment rate in Aiken County had fallen to 4.3 percent, lower than both the state and national rates.

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