Local Governments, Labor, Community and Industry Organizations Urge Congress for One-Time Increase in EM Funding to Create Jobs and Infrastructure Projects

Local governments today joined with labor, community and industry organizations in a letter urging Congress to provide a much-needed economic boost to some of the regions hardest hit by the current pandemic through a one-time $7.25 billion increase in funding for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) program.

The funding, which could be spent in the near future, will help reignite the national economy, assist in reviving small businesses, and create thousands of new jobs. At the same time, it could reduce one of the federal government’s largest liabilities, accelerate the national defense mission, and build a nuclear workforce for the future.

The letter was signed by ECA and 16 other organizations including the Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO, North America’s Building Trades Unions, and the Energy, Technology and Environmental Business Association (ETEBA).  “We have worked to improve coordination among federal, state and local government leaders, contractors, unions, communities and economic development entities, resulting in real progress,” the letter states. “However, we must remain committed to reducing one of the country’s largest environmental and financial liabilities to drive the innovations and technological advancements for America’s future.”

The letter identified dozens of high-impact projects that EM could initiate and complete with the $7.25 billion for the Hanford Site, Idaho Cleanup Project, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Los Alamos Legacy Cleanup, Nevada, Oak Ridge, Paducah, Portsmouth, West Valley, and Savannah River Site.

The letter can be found HERE.

ECA's press release can be found HERE.