DOE News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2000

INEEL Check Will Help Hire Lemhi Development Director

A $10,000 check will be presented to Lemhi County Commissioners by the INEEL Economic Development Director Anne Roberts March 9, 11:15 a.m. during the Idaho Department of Commerce Annual Region VI Gem Community and Service Providers Conference in Rexburg. The conference is at the Cottontree Conference and Tourism Information Center. The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory.

The money will help fund an economic development director position for Lemhi County and addresses a commitment Bechtel BWXT Idaho made in its five-year plan to help create 3,000 non-INEEL jobs throughout Idaho. BBWI is the INEEL operating contractor.

Roberts said, "Our relationship with the community of Salmon/Lemhi County began last September before BBWI even took over the INEEL contract. Sen. Crapo's office asked me to attend a Gem Community meeting in Salmon to address the upcoming closure of the Bear Track Gold Mine. This closure will mean a loss of 140 jobs for that small community. Sandra Feldman, a BBWI geologist, and I went up a day early and toured the mine and attended community meetings.

The next day during the Gem Community meeting, BBWI, along with the county, Idaho Power and other private companies committed to matching a grant from the Economic Development Administration to create an economic development director position for Lemhi County. The director will work full time on helping the county pursue opportunities for job creation.

Roberts noted the Idaho Department of Commerce holds Gem Community meetings quarterly "and they are an excellent opportunity to gather a lot of resources together the help Idaho communities and to focus on a particular community and some of its needs for a day.

"By leveraging our money with other private sources, we can really help small towns and counties during difficult economic times," said Roberts. "We see this as part of our role as a large employer in Idaho and our desire to make a difference and play a significant role in the state's economic vitality."

The INEEL is a science-based, applied engineering national laboratory dedicated to completing its environmental mission and meeting the nation's environmental, energy, nuclear science and technology needs. The INEEL is operated for the Department of Energy by Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC, in partnership with the Inland Northwest Research Alliance.

-INEEL-

Media contact, John Walsh (208) 526-8646, jhw@inel.gov

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