Issue Position: Energy

Issue Position

Issue Position: Energy

Energy

Ohio's Clean Energy Economy
Ohio is a vital force in America's emerging clean energy economy. From public support to private research and development to venture capital investment, Ohio is becoming the Silicon Valley of Clean Energy.
In Northwest Ohio, businesses and universities are leading the nation in solar power technologies, with the Toledo area having one of the highest numbers of solar energy-based jobs in the nation. In Northeastern Ohio -- in Elyria, Akron, Canton, Oberlin -- Ohioans are investing in clean energy manufacturing to build wind turbines in Lake Erie and next generation electric cars and fuel cell technologies. With business incubators that support emerging entrepreneurs, Youngstown was recently named one of the best cities in America to start a new business.

In Central Ohio -- in Columbus -- public and private partnerships are developing new clean energy technologies, like carbon sequestration, and creating strategies for advanced manufacturing. In Southwestern Ohio -- in Dayton and Cincinnati -- scientists are developing state-of-the-art alternative energy technologies and talented workers are building component parts that will power the clean energy economy. While in Southeastern Ohio, students and businesses are training the next generation of leaders in clean energy sectors like hybrid vehicles and biomass.

With Ohio leading the way, our nation must take the reins when it comes to clean energy production. As it stands, about 70 percent of the components of clean energy systems are built outside of the United States. We must not simply trade our dependence on foreign oil for a dependence on foreign manufactured clean energy sources.

To help prepare our manufacturers for the clean energy economy, I recently introduced the Investments for Manufacturing Progress and Clean Technology (IMPACT) Act of 2009, which would help small and medium d manufacturers improve their long-term competiveness and re-tool for the clean energy economy. The IMPACT Act has been endorsed by the National Association of Manufacturers as well as thousands of small and medium businesses who recognize the opportunities of a clean energy economy.

Ohio has the dedicated workers, talented businesses, the entreprenurial spirit and the rich manufacuring history to claim national leadership in the clean energy economy.

Ohio Clean Energy Projects Funded by the Recovery Act

Since the passage of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, Ohio has received approximately $889,865,710 for 20 Programs overseeing 219 projects.
According to a report released by the Council of State Governments, Ohio led the country in the number of clean energy jobs created by the Recovery Act during the first reporting period. Ohio is also a national leader in the number of homes weatherization through the Home Weatherization Assistance Program.

Investing in Ohio's Former Nuclear Sites

Senator Brown believes that investments in Ohio's former nuclear sites are investments in Ohio's future. They create jobs, fulfill promises to the workers and communities who helped win the Cold War, and protect our environment. Investments in former nuclear sites create opportunities to once again power Ohio's economy.

In January 2009, Senator Brown led a bipartisan group of eight senators in requesting that economic recovery legislation include a significant investment in Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear cleanup sites. The Mound site, in Miamisburg, and The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, in Piketon, both received significant Recovery Act funding.

Mound

The funds allocated to the Mound site in Miamisburg will enable it to complete its billion dollar cleanup in late 2010. Mound is more than just a cleanup project. Senator Brown is working with the Department and with community leaders to develop a plan for Mound's future. This includes helping bring new businesses to Mound and working with the Department to create new DOE projects at the site.

Piketon

The former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon began producing enriched uranium in 1954 in response to the nation's need for fissionable material for military reactors and nuclear weapons production. The plant's mission changed in the 1960s when its production shifted from enriching uranium for nuclear weapons to supplying uranium for commercial nuclear power plants. In 2001, the decision was made to consolidate operations at Portsmouth's sister site in Paducah, Kentucky. The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, the largest employer in the region, was shut down.

Recognizing both the devastating economic impact of the plant closure and the importance of protecting Ohioans from nuclear contamination and pollution, Senator Brown promised to secure funding for the cleanup of the Portsmouth site after he took office in 2007.

The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon received $118 million in Recovery Act funds to accelerate the plant's environmental cleanup. More than 200 people went to work, prepping Piketon for Decommissioning and Decontamination (D&D), DOE's official cleanup effort.

Senator Brown worked closely with DOE to create an accelerated-cleanup plan that will put an additional 900 Ohioans to work before DOE's multibillion-dollar D&D cleanup project commences. To make sure the work has the funds it needs, Senator Brown introduced the Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund Reauthorization Act, which would extend the life of the fund for another 12 years.
In November, Senator Brown joined Inés Triay, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management for the Department of Energy, in a visit to Piketon to see how the federal funds were creating jobs and expediting the cleanup process. Assistant Secretary Triay leads DOE cleanup efforts. While there, Senator Brown discussed possible community uses for the site following completion of the cleanup effort and presented a Cold War Patriot award to Bobby Graff, President of USW Local 689.

In addition to the ARRA funds, this year, DOE allocated more than $268 million in federal funds to the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. These funds are expected to create more than 1,000 jobs and accelerate cleanup efforts by at least 20 years. Senator Brown is hopeful that the rehabilitation and reuse of the site will usher in a new generation of job growth in southeast Ohio.

During 2009, Senator Brown urged DOE, appropriators and his colleagues in Congress to help make the American Centrifuge Project a reality. He initiated calls with DOE Secretary Chu in April and December, met with the Secretary in December and made a phone call to the White House in March. He encouraged DOE to work with USEC on the American Centrifuge Project (ACP) to catalyze long-term economic development and immediate job creation and spoke on the Senate floor about the ACP.

Following these efforts, DOE committed to providing technical and financial assistance to the ACP. Once underway, Senator Brown anticipates the project will allow for the return of uranium enrichment to Piketon, create 4,000 construction jobs, and 400 full-time positions.

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