As Congress and the Administration continue to play politics over how to create jobs in the U.S., a uranium enrichment project and its jobs are in limbo.  In Piketon, Ohio, a community of about 2,000, USEC, Inc. operates the American Centrifuge project. USEC and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have been in discussions about how to continue to move this this Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) project forward.

U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) recently met with U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu to discuss this pending $2 billion loan guarantee from DOE. If the political obstacles can be overcome, the project will create 4000 construction jobs and 400 long-term jobs.

The American Centrifuge project uses an innovative technology to produce enriched uranium. If Congress and the Administration are truly serious about job creation, look no further than this project. And there’s a bonus here too for those who seeking to expand our domestic energy resources and reduce our dependence on foreign supply sources.