“When it became clear that DOE would ultimately close the Gaseous Diffusion Plant, we aggressively sought out partners with Paducah’s long-term economic interests in mind.  Specifically, we worked to ensure the Paducah community would be the benefactor of any future development using the DOE-owned depleted uranium tails.  GE made a commitment to Paducah early on, and we are pleased that Global Laser Enrichment has been chosen to lead Paducah – our proud Atomic City – into an exciting chapter involving state-of-the-art laser enrichment technology.

“We have been encouraged by GE’s commitment to Paducah.  It is our understanding that GE proposes to invest over $1 billion to create a state-of-the-art laser enrichment facility at the DOE site that will create thousands of construction jobs, and hundreds of permanent jobs at a future GE facility.  From a national perspective, the proposal seeks to save the federal government money in cost reduction and revive the U.S. domestic nuclear supply chain while likely generating billions of dollars in new tax revenues for the local, state, and federal government.

“Paducah is a proud city, and we are thrilled GE has placed its confidence in the people of Paducah to host this new state-of-the-art facility.  Paducah has a bright future ahead, and we are genuinely grateful to be a part of it.”

Timeline of the Kentucky delegation’s efforts for background:

May 15, 2012: The delegation announces a plan to extend the life of the gaseous diffusion plant by one year, extending 1,200 jobs while saving the taxpayers money.

May 13, 2013:  The Kentucky delegation calls on the Department of Energy to develop a long-term solution for the Paducah DOE site.  

May 24, 2013:  Upon learning that United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) would not be continuing operations at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, the delegation requests a meeting with Department of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to express the urgency of developing a long-term solution for the Paducah DOE site.  They also express their disappointment with the Obama Administration’s inability to come up with an agreement to extend operations at the Paducah Plant.

June 4, 2013:  The delegation meets with Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Ernest Moniz and Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman to discuss the long-term future of the DOE site. The delegation, on behalf of the community, which was still reeling from the DOE’s recent announcement not to extend the United States Enrichment Corporation’s (USEC) operation, stressed the importance of DOE's commitment to cleanup and utilizing the tails and other assets located in Paducah to secure a long-term future for the site.

September 12, 2013: Paducah community leaders meet with Secretary Ernest Moniz. The main topics of discussion were finding a long-term solution for private sector development and accelerating cleanup activities at the Paducah Department of Energy (DOE) site.

November 14, 2013: The delegation meets with Secretary Ernest Moniz to obtain an update on DOE’s efforts to utilize the depleted uranium tails for economic development in Paducah. We are encouraged by Secretary Moniz’s comments today that using DOE’s depleted uranium assets for development in Paducah ‘remains a very important criteria’ to the Department of Energy as they finalize their decision on the request for offers process.

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