Paducah Community 'Fly-In' Shares Vision for Reindustrializing EM Site

The more than 80 members of the Paducah Chamber of Commerce Fly-In delegation are pictured outside the U.S. Capitol Building during the recent trip to meet with federal legislators and U.S. Department of Energy leadership.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The more than 80 community leaders who took part in the recent Paducah Chamber of Commerce Fly-In discussed environmental cleanup progress, upcoming project milestones and long term planning for reindustrialization of the Paducah Site with members of Kentucky’s congressional delegation and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) leaders.

The meetings emphasized DOE’s commitment to advancing its Office of Environmental Management (EM) cleanup to support the community’s future use goals, ensuring the Paducah Site is poised to serve as a driver for regional economic growth through reindustrialization efforts like those announced with General Matter.

During the visit, Deputy Secretary of Energy James P. Danly met with the group and highlighted DOE efforts to ensure reliable, affordable energy abundance and noted that the Department relies on the American people to help with these objectives, with Paducah being a prime example. The chamber group talked about reindustrialization and other topics with acting EM Assistant Secretary Joel Bradburne and other members of the EM leadership team, including Greg Sosson, Kristen Ellis and Steve Trischman.

The annual fly-in, which drew a record number of participants this year, provides an opportunity for the Paducah community to present a unified voice on regional priorities. The event underscores the strong collaboration between DOE, federal lawmakers and community stakeholders to ensure Paducah Site cleanup activities position western Kentucky as a leader in the energy renaissance across the country.

“It shows how much our community values the time in D.C. to discuss priorities for our community. When we go to D.C., we work on issues important to our region,” Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce President Sandra Wilson said. “This includes more funding for the Paducah Site and new businesses that will occupy the land transferred back to the community.”

A small group from the Paducah Chamber of Commerce Fly-In delegation pose for a photo during a visit to the U.S. Department of Energy headquarters to discuss future reindustrialization plans at the Paducah Site.

Bradburne said the event is an important forum for reinforcing DOE’s collaboration with Paducah community leaders.

“Continued engagement with Paducah’s unified voice ensures we are aligning cleanup progress with the community’s long term vision for the site,” Bradburne said.

Key priorities discussed during the meetings included the importance of sustained funding for Paducah Site cleanup, implementation of a holistic cleanup strategy, and investment in infrastructure to attract advanced manufacturing and a potential artificial intelligence data center siting. Chamber leaders highlighted the site’s role as one of the region’s largest employers, with more than 1,500 workers supporting DOE’s mission.

“Understanding the community’s vision for the site is a key factor in working towards final cleanup decisions,” Paducah Site Lead April Ladd said. “An important tenant of our mission is partnering with community leaders as we steadily make progress at the Paducah Site.”

-Contributor: Dylan Nichols