U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says the federal government is and will continue to take a radioactive waste site in Weldon Spring seriously.
Granholm, who made multiple stops in St. Louis on Tuesday promoting Missouri's use of federal dollars for energy projects, also visited the Weldon Spring Site interpretive center.
Granholm said it was her introduction to the situation.
“There are a variety of entities in the federal government that are responsible for sites here in the St. Louis area, and we want to make sure that we're doing right by people,” Granholm said. “And so it's important for me to get educated about what the history is because I know there is a long history here.”
U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis County, visited the site with Granholm.
“This was the best conversation that I have had on this issue with all of the agencies that I've worked with up to this point in the last 2½ years. We got further in this conversation than we ever have,” Bush said.
Bush said she is looking forward to further working with Granholm, as well as the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers, on the issue.
As far as compensation for families affected by the radioactive waste, Granholm said she cannot speak for the administration, but it is something officials are looking at.
Energy efficiency
Granholm and Bush also visited the St. Louis home of Denise Jeffries, which went through renovations to make it more energy efficient.
According to Granholm, through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, Missouri received $77 million for home weatherization. That’s 10 times more than the state normally gets.
“We want to have this be an example all across the country, because states all across the country got more money to be able to weatherize homes like yours,” Granholm said.
Jeffries said she saves over $100 a month in energy costs.
Bush said it’s not only about funding, but also doing outreach to make sure the community knows those resources are available.
“We need to scale up those groups and those advocates, those that are doing the work in the communities that are going door to door, that are making sure that this information is hitting mailboxes so that people know that this is something that they should utilize,” Bush said.
Bush, who voted against the Infrastructure Bill, says she championed a version of it from the beginning but believed the St. Louis area deserved more in social services spending from the federal government.
Batteries for electric vehicles
Earlier Tuesday, Granholm attended a groundbreaking for a lithium battery materials plant in the Carondelet area.
The project, which is headed by the chemical products company ICL, which says will become the first large-scale battery materials manufacturing plant in the country.
Granholm said the company received funding through a competitive grant that also became possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.
She said projects like this advance President Joe Biden’s goal of achieving 100% clean electricity by 2035.
“The automakers themselves have a goal of getting 50% of their new cars to be electric by 2030. The cars are going to need the guts of those electric vehicles, and the guts of those electric vehicles are obviously the battery,” Granholm said.
Gov. Mike Parson also attended the ceremony. He said he intends to do everything he can to make sure Missouri is competitive in the energy market.
“When you talk about energy, it is going to be the future of our country, it's going to be the future of the state. And if you're not in, you're going to get left behind,” Parson said.
