Assemblymember Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on California's Clean Energy Economy, today released the following statement on Richmond's selection as the site of the second Lawrence Berkeley Lab campus:

"The East Bay sites Lawrence Berkeley National Lab had under consideration were excellent, any one a good choice. I congratulate the Lab for its selection of Richmond as it recognizes the City of Richmond's emergence as one of the green tech centers of the East Bay. This will be a great partnership. Richmond offers LBNL a range of green and clean tech activities, a vibrant and diverse community and access to multiple modes of transportation, and LBNL will bring prestige as well as economic and educational benefits to a community particularly hard hit by the recession.

With 4,200 employees, a more than $800 million budget, and thirteen Nobel Prize winners, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is truly a jewel of our region, one that is sure to shine through the community of Richmond.

I intend to work hand in hand with the City of Richmond, LBNL, and UC, as we undertake this expansion of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and look forward with great anticipation to the new jobs, enhanced research and scientific gains that are sure to be the result."

CONTACT: Diane Griffiths, (916) 319-2014