Sen. Dale Fowler | Facebook
Sen. Dale Fowler | Facebook
State Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) sees Honeywell’s news of reopening as an opportunity for Illinoisans to obtain jobs and rebuild Southern Illinois’ economy.
He said that many had lost jobs when the site closed.
“I know that when the facility originally shut down, we lost dozens of well-paying jobs and the community was hit hard,” Fowler said in a statement.
Fowler further said that this good news creates optimism amid the current challenges brought about by the pandemic.
“Now, after experiencing yet another major hit to our economy and workforce due to the COVID-19 crisis, it’s extremely encouraging that the facility is reopening and bringing much-need job opportunities back to the area.”
Honeywell has announced their plan to restart production in 2023, and they are projecting to hire 160 full-time employees by the end of next year.
“We’re proud to bring these jobs back to the Metropolis community to meet the needs of our customers,” Honeywell said in a statement.
The sole uranium conversion facility in the country had ceased its production in 2017 due to several concerns in the nuclear industry. Honeywell converts uranium ore into uranium hexafluoride (UF6).
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