Indiana Approves $20 Million to Buy 185 More Acres for Lebanon LEAP District as Oklo Nuclear Project Draws Scrutiny
INDIANAPOLIS — After a hearing at the Statehouse on November 10, Indiana's State Budget Committee voted 4–1 to approve $20 million for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) to buy another 185 acres in the LEAP district in Lebanon.
The land would advance a project code-named the "Phoenix Project," in which California nuclear-technology company Oklo would build a facility producing medical radioisotopes. The hearing grew tense at times, as several state lawmakers and taxpayers questioned why the agency needs more land when thousands of acres it already holds in the LEAP district remain undeveloped, and demanded greater transparency about the project's code name and land use.
Mark Wasky, special counsel to the IEDC, said Oklo currently plans mainly to produce medical radioisotopes on the site. The committee's vote releases funding only; the Phoenix Project as a whole still must pass county approval, local zoning rules and community hearings. State Sen. Fady Qaddoura was among the lawmakers who questioned the necessity of the purchase, saying taxpayers have a right to know the full details.
The LEAP district, in the city of Lebanon, is a large industrial park the state has made a flagship development project.
Source: The Indianapolis Star
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：印第安纳州议会大厦（Indianapolis）。照片：w_lemay，CC BY-SA 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: Indiana Statehouse. Photo by w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
