Idaho using stimulus funds on cleanup work

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- The state of Idaho is using a sizable portion of its federal stimulus funds on the nuclear cleanup of the Idaho National Laboratory, officials say.

Department of Energy spokeswoman Danielle Miller said the cleanup effort at the research complex near Idaho Falls, Idaho, has been accelerated through the use of the stimulus funds and has resulted in 515 direct jobs, the Idaho Statesman said Thursday.

"It's such a big facility and such an important part of the economy," offered John Revier, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho.

The non-profit investigative Web site ProPublica said Idaho's spending on the cleanup effort at the laboratory has left the state fifth among U.S. states in terms of per capita stimulus spending.

The Department of Energy, as part of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is spending $6 billion on a nuclear cleanup program in 12 states. Of those funds, $468 million is being used on the Idaho National Laboratory.

The federal cleanup effort is focused on demolishing 89 old structures after those sites are decontaminated. The program also involves the removal of containers of nuclear waste and lower-level waste from the targeted sites, the Statesman reported.