$44 million will create jobs to clean up the Nevada Test Site

March 31, 2009

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid today announced the release of $44 million in funding through the economic recovery package to clean up the Nevada Test Site (NTS.)  Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, led the passage of this legislation to address critical needs in Nevada and create jobs for unemployed Nevadans.
 
The funding is part of a $6 billion effort nationwide aimed at accelerating environmental cleanup work. The money will create jobs in 12 states, including Nevada.
 
“This is exactly the type of project the economic recovery package was intended to fund,” Reid said. “This money will keep southern Nevadans safe and healthy while also helping maintain the Nevada Test Site as the nation’s premier security research and testing site.”
 
The work at NTS will identify waste characteristics within the soil at three corrective action sites and install groundwater monitoring wells to provide additional data on groundwater contamination to support future cleanup work. There will also be demolition of three major facilities and two smaller structures, removing contaminated materials and providing opportunities for future beneficial use of the land.

These projects and the new funding are managed by the Department’s Office of Environmental Management, which is responsible for the risk reduction and cleanup of the environmental legacy from the nation’s nuclear weapons program.