NORTH LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, and U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen visited the Nevada National Security Site in North Las Vegas.

“The Department of Energy was pleased to host Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen and members of their staff at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) on Friday, May 10. The visit provided an opportunity to show the Senators first-hand the critical national security work NNSS performs by assuring the safety, security, and reliability of our nation’s nuclear stockpile.

We discussed the timeline for removing the material from Nevada. Administrator Gordon-Hagerty and I reiterated our commitment to begin removal in 2021 and brief them on major milestones related to that removal. 

The Senators saw both classified and unclassified work at NNSS, and met with scientists, laborers, miners, and engineers who are among the more than 3,000 Nevadan men and women working tirelessly at the Site to help keep America safe.  

The NNSS workforce also strongly supports Nevada’s STEM efforts, from elementary schools to the Universities of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Nevada, Reno. NNSS employees are actively engaged with volunteer activities throughout southern Nevada. 

Over $900 million dollars a year are spent directly in Nevada because of the NNSS.  $190 million is also awarded annually to small businesses, and 1,500 subcontract jobs are made possible in southern Nevada through the work conducted at the Site.

Today’s tour provided the Senators and their staff with a greater appreciation of these facts, and of the strong sense of pride the NNSS workforce has in their work. This will allow Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen to continue to be strong advocates for their state and our nation.”

-U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry

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