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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) applauded Ucore Rare Metals Inc’s (Ucore) announcement to invest $75 million to establish North America’s first rare earth element separation and purification facility in Alexandria, LA. They plan to build an 80,800 square-foot brownfield facility within the England Airpark. This investment is projected to create 392 direct and indirect jobs. “This is the latest of a series of developments in Louisiana related to the cutting edge of the energy industry,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This project creates jobs, but it will attract other projects which create more jobs. The future is bright for Louisiana.” “Ucore has executed a very focused plan to establish its first rare earth processing plant within an existing brownfield facility,” said Ucore Chairman and CEO Pat Ryan, P.Eng. “This plan accelerated once Ucore narrowed its US Gulf Coast search to Louisiana and worked through many excellent potential sites throughout the state. Critical success markers included streamlined logistics, access to chemicals and reagents, attractive energy costs, labor pool robustness, room for ramp-up and production expansion, and community support, including technical education infrastructure. Several communities around the state were very seriously considered, yet England Airpark and the community of Alexandria presented local partnership and expansion opportunities to ensure Ucore achieves and perhaps exceeds its original objectives. Ucore is extremely grateful to The City of Alexandria, England Airpark, GAEDA, Louisiana Central, LED, Rapides Parish, and Louisiana’s federal delegation. Each has worked together and in concert with Ucore to provide us with the opportunity to establish the first modern technology rare earth processing plant in North America. It is critical that the United States leads in establishing the critical metals supply chain essential to a changing manufacturing landscape across North America. The establishment of the Louisiana SMC in Alexandria represents one of these first building blocks and a significant contributor to the shift toward energy production and consumption diversification.” ### |