WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following today’s news of an agreement between the Department of Energy and USEC on the American Centrifuge Project, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) released the following statement:

“This is a positive step forward for Piketon and all of Southern Ohio,” Brown said. “After four years of hard work, constant communication between local leaders, steelworkers, my office, and the Administration, this is the most significant step yet in realizing the thousands of jobs that would be created through the American Centrifuge Project. This project shows that when we transcend partisan politics, we can do big things. Although ACP awaits a loan guarantee, this announcement ensures that ACP is in the strongest position to move forward on the next phase. There is still more work to do, but the Obama Administration’s efforts show a fierce commitment to Southern Ohio putting Ohioans back to work.”

USEC’s application for a government loan guarantee would help build state of the art uranium enrichment technology at the former Department of Energy (DOE) Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon.  If successful, the ACP could bring as many as 4,000 construction jobs and 400 long-term, full time jobs to Piketon.

Brown is working closely with USEC and DOE to ensure facilitated coordination efforts for the American Centrifuge Project. Earlier this year, in letters to White House Chief of Staff William Daley and Office of Management and Budget Director Jabob Lew earlier this year, Brown emphasized that an expeditious loan approval process would ensure the domestic enrichment of uranium for national security activities. At the end of 2010, Brown urged the Obama Administration to move forward in approving the loan guarantee for the American Centrifuge Plant (ACP) and to fully fund cleanup at the former Gaseous Diffusion Plant. In February 2010, Brown worked with DOE to reach an agreement that resulted in DOE devoting $45 million in new funds to advance the ACP. In October 2010, Brown visited Piketon. A week later, DOE announced that efforts to secure a loan guarantee for USEC have taken a significant step forward. DOE and USEC had reached a framework for further discussions. In December, Brown called on the administration to fully fund the Piketon Cleanup.

A member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Brown has led the fight in Congress to accelerate the Piketon cleanup and to create new jobs. He successfully secured an expedited timeframe for the cleanup, moving the completion date up by more than 20 years. As a result of Brown and President Obama’s efforts, Piketon doubled the amount of cleanup funding that they received, including $118 million in cleanup funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. President Obama's FY 2011 budget request also includes nearly $500 million for the project. Federal funds for Piketon will have helped to create more than 275 jobs in the region.

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