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News Release
From
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE Contact: Mitch Krebs, 605-773-3212
Congressional Delegation, Governor Comment on Homestake DUSEL Decision Washington, D.C./Pierre, SD—Governor Mike Rounds, Senator Tim Johnson, Senator John Thune, and Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin made the following comments today after the announcement from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to locate the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) at the Sanford Laboratory at Homestake in Lead, South Dakota: “This is great news for science and of course for South Dakota and the region. The NSF site selection process was rigorous and fair. On behalf of the citizens of South Dakota, Dr. Lesko and I encourage and welcome collaboration members from the other three sites to join with us in making the Sanford Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory a world class laboratory. My hope is that the tremendous talent and wealth of ideas proposed by all of the scientists will come together for the advancement of science,” said Rounds. "Congratulations to the hard working folks at Homestake, who built a solid proposal, and to the entire state who I know will embrace this opportunity. It’s been quite a marathon so far, and now we have successfully completed another mile. In 2001, I was able to secure $10 million in federal funding to help keep this project alive. With this good news, it's clear the federal role will be crucial for funding the next steps. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I look forward to working with John and Stephanie to help secure the millions of dollars that will be necessary to build the lab," said Senator Johnson. “Congratulations to Lead! This is truly an exciting day for the community of Lead, the Black Hills region, and our entire country as the Sanford Laboratory at Homestake takes on its new prominent role. A project of this magnitude will bring the spotlight of discovery to Lead and the Northern Hills. Homestake’s new mission will bring some of the greatest scientific minds of our generation to the Hills. This will mean new scientific discoveries and significant economic development potential for the entire region,” said Senator Thune. Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin said, “Once again, South Dakota has proven what we can accomplish when we work together on behalf of the future of our state. I want to congratulate everyone who worked to achieve this victory for South Dakota. We always believed that Homestake was the best candidate for the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory, and with the selection behind us, the delegation will work together to ensure that the laboratory and the community have the resources necessary to get the project up and running as soon as possible. This is a great day for those who live in the Black Hills, for the community of Lead, and for our students, who will have world class educational opportunities right here in South Dakota.” This announcement by the NSF means that Homestake is no longer competing against other sites for this important project, but that does not mean the fight is over. With the $15 million award, Homestake will have the next three years to further refine the plans involved in developing this lab, but it must still compete with other NSF research projects for federal funding.
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