Secretary Haaland, Members Of Delegation Announce Investment In New USGS Building On School Of Mines Campus

Statement

Today the Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), and Colorado School of Mines President Paul Johnson announced the authorization and initial funding for the construction of a new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) building to support energy and mineral research on the School of Mines campus.

As part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) passed at the end of 2021, Perlmutter -- along with Sens. Bennet and Hickenlooper -- successfully secured $167 million in funding and authorities needed to replace aging office and lab facilities currently at the Denver Federal Center. This new facility will be located at the CO School of Mines and will house both students and faculty along with about 150 USGS staff and lab facilities. While this funding does not cover the full cost of the project, today's announcement of the selection of the CO School of Mines site is a key step enabling the project to move forward in earnest.

"This new state-of-the-art facility will be a tremendous asset for both Mines and USGS, and support the important work of researchers, scientists, and students in Colorado. This is one of the many examples of the important benefits the bipartisan infrastructure bill will provide for our community," said Perlmutter.

"During our visit with Secretary Haaland today, I was pleased to join Congressman Perlmutter and Senator Hickenlooper to welcome this funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law for the Colorado School of Mines," said Bennet. "This is a significant down payment for the construction of a new U.S. Geological Survey building to replace aging office and lab facilities for more than 150 USGS scientists in Colorado. I'm incredibly grateful for Congressman Perlmutter's leadership on this issue."

"The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill delivers yet again for Colorado," said Hickenlooper. "Colorado School of Mines will use this funding to perform cutting-edge energy research and train the next generation of scientists."

"We are excited to be expanding the U.S. Geological Survey presence on the Colorado School of Mines campus. The combined expertise of our two organizations will make Golden, Colorado, the epicenter of knowledge, research and education related to earth, energy and the environment. The soon-to-be-built world-class energy and minerals research facility will be the central hub for Mines-USGS collaborations on the critical mineral and energy challenges of our day, and it will also provide an unparalleled educational opportunity for our students to work and learn at the cutting edge of research and technology development with both Mines and USGS experts," said Colorado School of Mines President Paul C. Johnson. "We look forward to welcoming our USGS colleagues to campus, and thank Rep. Perlmutter and our Colorado congressional delegation for their efforts to make this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity a reality."

"Science is at the heart of Interior's mission, and we are committed to empowering the agency's scientific and technical experts to use the best available technology to guide our work. This investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help maintain and enhance the necessary infrastructure to provide unique research and operational capabilities in critical minerals research, energy resource evaluation and other essential energy and mineral program priorities for the USGS," said Secretary Haaland.

The USGS and the Colorado School of Mines first announced their long-term partnership in 2018 but the relationship between Mines and USGS goes back more than 40 years, with both the USGS Geologic Hazards Science Center and its National Earthquake Information Center located on the Mines campus.

The bipartisan infrastructure package will rebuild roads, bridges, transit systems, schools, housing, renewable energy infrastructure, broadband access, and much more here in Colorado and across the country. Initial estimates show Colorado will receive over $4.8 billion to support roads, bridges, and transit investments alone. Just last week, a separate announcement showed Colorado was set to receive $8 million in FY 2022, part of a total $57 million investment over the next five years, to expand its EV charging network and accelerate the adoption of EVs to address the climate crisis and support domestic manufacturing jobs.

Source