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The RIA
for Illinois Task Force, which was launched in September, is working
with the Illinois congressional delegation to deliver the message to
the White House, U.S. Department of Energy and Congress that the
Argonne National Laboratory is the right location for the project,
expected to be the world's leading facility for research in nuclear
science. "On behalf of the
people of Illinois, I'd like to thank both Governor Thompson and …
Daley for taking on this assignment," said Gov. Blagojevich. "Their
experience with both federal and state government issues, their
extraordinary intellectual abilities and deep dedication to the
well-being of our state make them the ideal people to take on this
challenge. The state of Illinois is committed to pursuing this truly
unique opportunity to host the RIA facility to help grow our
economy, create jobs and solidify our position as one of the
nation's leading hubs of science and technology. I look forward to
working with Governor Thompson, Secretary Daley, our congressional
delegation and the entire task force to bring this project to
Illinois."
"In Argonne, we have the long and
distinguished record of the nation's first national laboratory. It
is one of the great repositories of scientific talent in the world.
We have the physical infrastructure to ensure that the project will
be brought in on time and on budget. And we have the security
systems in place to safeguard this remarkable scientific resource,"
Gov. Thompson said.
"Argonne, which is operated for the
federal government by the University of Chicago, is ideally suited
for the RIA facility because of its leadership role in developing
the overall concept for the accelerator and its experience in the
design, construction and operation of large-scale U.S. Department of
Energy facilities," Daley said. "RIA will change our world in ways
we can't even image, and we will spread a unified message that
Illinois is the only logical location for the birthplace of a
once-in-a-lifetime scientific revolution."
Thompson recently concluded service
on The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United
States, the bipartisan panel established by Congress and President
Bush to investigate and report on the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks on the United States. He is chairman of the law firm of
Winston & Strawn.
In his role at JPMorgan Chase, Daley
represents the firm at the most senior levels to clients and is the
senior executive for the Midwest region across businesses. He was
president of SBC Communications Inc. from 2001 until earlier this
year and served as U.S. secretary of commerce under President
Clinton from 1997 to 2000, overseeing a department of more than
40,000 people.
The University of Chicago will
engage in an open competition for the project with Michigan State
University through a federal request for proposals process. The
Department of Energy has said it would issue the request for
proposals by the end of the year.
The state's congressional delegation
has been at the forefront of the effort to win the accelerator
project, with U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and U.S.
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., leading the way. U.S. Rep. Judy
Biggert, R-Ill., in whose district Argonne is located and who chairs
a key congressional subcommittee, has also been instrumental in
marshalling support for the project.
"Support from leaders in business,
government, education, labor and other fields of endeavor will be
critical in our campaign to make the case that Illinois is
absolutely the right choice for RIA," Hastert said. "We applaud the
civic spirit behind this effort, and we give these leaders credit
for recognizing what a truly monumental benefit this will be to
Illinois if Argonne is selected."
"This is not only the right decision
for Illinois -- this is the right decision for our country," Durbin
said. "With this incredibly talented, dedicated and diverse group of
people working together, I know we will continue making our
compelling case for why RIA belongs at Argonne."
"All we seek is a fair, open and
transparent competition and a decision based on the merits of the
proposals," said Biggert. "In that scenario, I don't think there's
any doubt that Illinois is the only place to locate this highly
important national scientific priority." Biggert is chairman of the
House Science Committee's energy subcommittee, which is responsible
for authorizing RIA and has jurisdiction over national laboratories.
"The impact on Illinois would be
profound," Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
Director Jack Lavin said. "RIA represents a $1 billion investment
that will create 16,000 construction jobs and 1,750 permanent jobs
in Illinois, including 400 new jobs at Argonne itself. Spinoff
economic activity will be enormous, including $110 million in annual
output into the Illinois economy. Equally important, RIA would
provide leading-edge research facilities for our universities and
our industries, resulting in development of new products in medicine
and biology, electronics, materials, and the environment."
Argonne is located about 25 miles
southwest of Chicago's Loop, surrounded by DuPage County Forest
Preserve land. The rare isotope accelerator will be the world's
leading center for the creation and study of rare isotopes, which
are radioactive species with such short lifetimes that they no
longer exist in nature. Its capabilities, unmatched anywhere in the
world, will allow scientists to study the generation of energy in
the stars and test new ideas about the fundamental forces of nature
that govern the universe. This research will have a multitude of
medical and commercial applications.
[to top of second column in this article] |
"The United States has decided to
build a remarkable new machine that will open up a new world of
scientific discovery at the heart of matter," said Dr. Hermann
Grunder, director of the Argonne National Laboratory. "In the
process, it will jump-start new technologies that will improve the
diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases, create
powerful new tools to detect environmental pollutants and toxins,
develop new semiconductors and more durable materials, and forge
better ways to verify weapons treaties and enhance our national
security,"
Go to
www.riaforillinois.com
for more information on the accelerator project.
Co-chairmen
- William Daley, chairman of the
Midwest, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
- James R. Thompson, former
Illinois governor and Winston & Strawn chairman
Invited
honorary members
- U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.
- U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald,
R.-Ill.
- U.S. Sen.-elect Barack Obama,
D-Ill.
- U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert
- U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert, R-13
- U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-12
- U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-7
- U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-5
- U.S. Rep. Lane Evans, D-17
- U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-4
- U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde, R-6
- U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-2
- U.S. Rep. Timothy Johnson, R-15
- U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, R-10
- U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, R-18
- U.S. Rep. Donald Manzullo, (R-16)
- U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-1
- U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-9
- U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-20
- U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller, R-11
- Mayor Richard M. Daley, city of
Chicago
Executive
committee
- U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.
- U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert
- U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert, R-13
- Dr. Henry S. Bienen, president,
Northwestern University
- Margaret Blackshere, president,
AFL-CIO
- Dennis Gannon, president, Chicago
Federation of Labor
- Dr. Hermann Grunder, director,
Argonne National Laboratory
- R. Eden Martin, president, Civic
Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago
- Dr. John G. Peters, president,
Northern Illinois University
- Dr. Don M. Randel, president,
University of Chicago
- Samuel K. Skinner, chairman,
Illinois Coalition
- Duane Stucky, acting president,
Southern Illinois University
- Dr. James J. Stukel, president,
University of Illinois
Task
force members (list in development)
- Greg Baise, president and chief
executive officer, Illinois Manufacturers' Association
- David Blake, vice president and
publisher, Crain's Chicago Business
- William Brodsky, chairman and
CEO, Chicago Board Options Exchange
- Frank Clark, president and CEO,
Commonwealth Edison Company
- Lew Collens, president, Illinois
Institute of Technology
- Lester Crown, chairman, Material
Service Corporation
- Bernard W. Dan, president and
CEO, Chicago Board of Trade
- J. Kevin Dorsey, dean and
provost, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
- Craig Duchossois, president and
CEO, Duchossois Industries Inc.
- John Edwardson, chairman and CEO,
CDW Corporation
- Michael Flavin, chairman and CEO,
Advanced Life Sciences
- Bill Gantz, president, Ovation
Pharmaceuticals Inc.
- William Green, CEO, Accenture
- Daniel Hamburger, president and
chief operating officer, DeVry Inc.
- Carrie Hightman, president, SBC
Illinois
- Richard Keyser, chairman of the
board and CEO, W.W. Grainger Inc.
- Mike Mullen, president and COO,
CenterPoint Properties Trust
- Georgia Nelson, president,
Midwest Generation
- Paul O'Connor, president, World
Business Chicago
- Thomas Patrick, chairman,
president and CEO, People's Energy Corporation
- Michael Riordan, president and
CEO, University of Chicago Hospitals
- John Rogers, chairman and CEO,
Ariel Capital Management
- Jerry Roper, president,
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
- John Rowe, chairman, president
and CEO, Exelon Corporation
- Russ Strobel, president and CEO,
Nicor Gas
- Louis Susman, vice chair,
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
- Glenn Tilton, chairman, president
and CEO, UAL Corporation
- Doug Whitley, president, Illinois
State Chamber of Commerce
- Michael Witherell, director,
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
- Edward Zander, chairman and CEO,
Motorola Inc.
[News release]
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