Senators McConnell and Paul and Congressman Whitfield Request Meeting with DOE to Discuss Future of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant

Press Release

On Thursday, Senator McConnell, joined by Senator Rand Paul and Congressman Ed Whitfield, sent a letter to Energy Secretary Stephen Chu demanding answers regarding the future of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant

In the letters they wrote, "It is likely that in May of this year, the site will be forced to cease operations if the Department does not use its existing authority to enrich the tails located on the site, which will extend the life of this plant and save the 1,200 jobs directly affiliated with it. DOE has both the jurisdiction and the authority to resolve this issue. The continued lack of action from the Department, particularly with this many jobs at stake, is inexcusable."

The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant has been producing enriched uranium in western Kentucky for 60 years. The plant has 1,200 employees, and it currently stores 40,000 cylinders of depleted uranium, which have the potential to be re-enriched to make a profit. These are government resources, highly valued, stored in a lot, which could be sold to create revenue for our government.

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