USW Atomic Energy Workers Council (AEWC) President Jim Key, who also serves as an appointee to the U.S. Department of Labor Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker’s Health, visited the White House on July 10 to witness President Joe Biden sign into law the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (A.D.V.A.N.C.E.) Act.
The bipartisan bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 88-2 and the House by 393-13, sets forth provisions to incentivize the development and deployment of domestically produced advanced nuclear fuel technologies and to clean up hazardous land.
Key leads union-related activity at the former Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Paducah, Ky., and sees the new law as having the potential to bring scores of valuable new union jobs to the area.
“This bill lays the groundwork for bringing thousands of family-sustaining wages and good health care benefits to our region, both in the future of small modular reactors (SMRs) and in the resulting labor needed to manufacture SMR components,” said Key.
Click here to read more about what the ADVANCE Act means for Paducah and to watch Key on WPSD Local 6 News.